MR3 World's Savior
by ExploringtheHeart
Summary: My first Maximum Ride fanfic. I love this book and hope I can write a good fanfic to express my love of it! lol UPDATE: LAST CHAPTER IS UP!
1. Chapter 1

**Well, here's my first ever Maximum Ride fanfic. This is my newest favorite book, and I couldn't wait for the third, so I'm writing this. No it will not be as good as anything by James Patterson, and no I do not expect it to be, lol. Just thought I'd take a wild stab at it. I'll post chapter 2 if I get any reviews. R&R and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the main storyline. I do not own Itex...basically I don't own anything from the book, lol.

* * *

**

Part 1- Migrating...North?

1

Don't you just love the feeling of a cool mountain breeze rustling your feathers about ten thousand feet in the sky? Oh wait...I guess you wouldn't, would you? Oh well. Maybe this is the kind of things other people only _dream_ about. But my flock and I...well...we _dream_ of being other people. And they dream of being us. It's kinda continuous, don't you think?

Oh yeah, I guess I should start by saying I'm Max, short for Maximum Ride. Of course if you're reading this, you probably already know that. Basically, my flock and I are six perfectly normal kids who have been to school and have eaten regular food and have lived in an enormous house near Washington D.C. But there _is_ still that itsy-bitsy-teeny-tiny problem that keeps us from being _perfectly_ normal. We were grafted with avian DNA when we were born. We're human-avian recombinant life-forms. And in case that didn't make sense, let me simplify it. We have wings, among other powers, but we'll get to that later.

"How much longer?" Iggy was getting tired, I could tell by the slight frustration and whine in his voice. I glanced over to see him lightly keeping the tip of his right wing in line with Nudge's left wing. Jeez, for being blind most of his life, that kid flew better than me most of the time.

Nudge shot her infamous Bambi-eye look at me and also started whining. "Yeah Max. I'm getting hungry. Can't we just stop somewhere in D.C. to eat? Remember when we stayed there with Anne? We went to that really really good resteraunt and had all those hamburgers. What was it called? Remember that Max?"

"That was a McDonald's, Nudge," I said with irritation showing in my voice. I know, I'm supposed to be the big tough leader of the flock that can withstand a child talking at 100 miles an hour, but sometimes that girl just makes you want to tear your hair out!

Oops. Angel must've been listening in on my thoughts (one of her amazing powers) because she turned and frowned at me, but then broke it with a slight smile. Total, her small, black, and talking dog, looked from her small face to mine and tried to understand what we were thinking, then gave up and curled back up in Angel's arms.

"We'll stop for breakfast pretty soon," I said, trying to sound leader-y again. I stole a quick glance at Fang and the Gasman, who were flying right alongside each other a few feet away from me. Gasman was hardly paying attention to what I'd said, or maybe he hadn't even heard. But Fang was giving me his "tell-them-you're-sorry-because-we-both-know-you-are" look. Ok, so I made that one up. But that's what he was thinking. I think.

"I'm sorry guys, I know it's cold up here, and I know it's freaking December, but we've got to keep moving." Silently I cursed myself for sounding so demanding, then decided it would need to be that way for a while. "We need to be as far away from Itex as we possibly can right now, just in case the Erasers are going to try tracking us anytime soon, which we all know they will."

"But why north?" Gasman's voice came in from behind me now. "I mean, why couldn't we go to San Diego or Mall of America or something?"

"Gazzy, you know there's too many people there. We need to bunker down somewhere remote and safe for now, where the Erasers won't be as likely to find us." Then I remembered how stupid that sounded. I remembered how they were probably tracking us by the small chip in my arm. I sighed. "Again guys, I'm really really sorry from the bottom of my heart, but this is the safest way to be right now."

Well, that put an end to that conversation. After that, no one else spoke for at least another hour, which was about the time we found a small town on the edge of Pennsylvania that we raided for breakfast. Ok, maybe not "raided", but you know what I mean.

After slamming down my fifth or sixth hash brown from McDonald's, I excused myself from our table to go to the bathroom.

It was happening again. The heat strokes. The skull-smashing pain erupting in my skull. The visions.

_Pay attention,_ I think my Voice said during the brain attack. Yes, I do have a Voice in my head, and yes there's a good possibility I'm losing my mind, to answer any questions that may bring. _The truth is a lot closer than you think. You just need to learn to pay attention. That's the only way you'll ever accomplish your destiny._

Great, there it went again with its destiny rant. I didn't bother trying to make some comment to it, and instead leaned over the bathroom sink to splash cold water on my face. When I looked up into the mirror, I almost screamed. Eraser Max was back. Except this time, when I looked back at my hands, they were still hairy and had now grown sharp claws. 'Oh crap' would've been an understatement at that point.


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, I got some good reviews, so here's chapter 2! Again, R&R and enjoy!**

* * *

2

But of course, 'oh crap' was the only thing going through my head at that point, so I guess that'll have to suffice. Anyway, I looked down at my hands again. _They're still furry...and clawed? Like an Eraser's hands. Like Ari's._ Was it finally happening? Was I becoming an Eraser like Jeb's psychotic seven-year old son, Ari?

"Max?" Angel's small voice came from outside the McDonald's bathroom door. She almost sounded worried. "Max? If you're in there, could you hurry?"

Trying to muster up enough strength to say something, I took a deep breath and stepped into one of the stalls in case she came in. "What's wrong sweetie?" Quickly thinking, I cleared my mind of all the fears that came when I looked in the mirror, just in case Angel was listening to my thoughts.

"Um, can I come in?" She really sounded worried now, so with a sigh I said it was fine.

"Is anyone else out there?" I asked before she had opened the door all the way.

A moment of pause. She must've been checking. "Nope, but I can get them to go away if they want to come in."

I almost laughed. Angel, Wicked Witch of the Flock, would use her mind-altering ability to steer anyone away from the bathroom, just as she had done in other situations before. I remembered the White House. _She manipulated the President of the United States of America._

"I sure did!" Angel was listening to my thoughts again and responded in her cheerful voice as she closed the bathroom door behind her. "Can I come into the stall? It's kinda private."

Without thinking, I answered with a quiet "yes," then remembered my condition and slammed myself against the stall door, hoping she wasn't up against it on the other side.

Apparently she wasn't, because I quickly felt her small push on the door, trying to get it open. "What's wrong Max?"

"It's...nothing sweetie. Honest." What a lie. And Angel if you're listening to my thoughts right now hearing all this, I'm sorry I can't say more right now.

"Why can't you say anything? Why are you keeping secrets?" Angel's small voice began to quiver, and I could tell she was about to cry.

"Sweetie...I'm just...so sorry. Please don't cry. I know I shouldn't keep secrets, but this is a really really bad one."

Slowly, Angel's small sniffles were gone, replaced by an air of curiousity.

"Could you...could you get Fang maybe? Ask him if he could slip in her in secret maybe?" I know, it's a stupid plan, but it was all I had at the moment. And besides, I needed to get Angel out of here before...well before something else happened.

Without a word, I heard Angel quietly leave the bathroom and shut the door behind her, only to hear it open a few seconds later.

"Max? Are you alright?" Fang's deep voice that usually sounded emotionless now had a worried tone in it. "Don't worry, Angel's keeping guard outside, ready to turn anyone away who tries to come in."

"Fang..." I was about to tell him about my sudden..._costume change,_ but decided I'd wait and here what he had to say. "Why did Angel need me? Do you know?"

There was silence on the other side of the stall door, and I could almost feel Fang's heart becoming heavier. He was trying to find the right words. "I'm...I'm changing, Max."

A fresh wave of panic assaulted my brain, along with another heat blast that almost knocked me off my feet. "Wha...whaddya mean?" My voice shook and I could tell I was going to break down soon. Jeez, so much for Invincible Max. I noticed that I was looking down at my own hands again, noticed that they were still furry and had claws on the end of each finger, noticed that I hardly cared anymore. I was too worried about Fang.

Suddenly I heard something I had never heard in my life and never thought I would hear. Fang was sniffling, fighting back tears that I knew he had to let go. _Oh my God. Is this for real?_ Noticing I was in the handicapped stall of the bathroom, I slowly opened the door and hid behind it as Fang slowly stepped in.

"Something's wrong, Max." Fang's voice almost broke about the same time mine did when I saw what he meant. _Fang's fingers had claws like mine, and dark hair was beginning to erupt from the back of his hand._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3, I know it's a bit short, but eh, I was tired and got lazy, lol. Next chapter the action will start...I hope, lol R&R and enjoy!**

* * *

3

Fang and I were just standing there in the bathroom stall, staring at each other's new...features. I noticed it was only his hands that were like mine, and quickly reached up to touch my face. As far as I could tell, I still possessed regular human features everywhere else. Well, as "human" as a bird kid can be anyway.

I started to try and say something, but I lost it in a choking sob. I still couldn't believe that Fang was about to break down as well.

"I think I'm getting those headaches you keep talking about as well," he said, looking straight into my eyes. I tried to look away but couldn't bring myself to do so, and instead I reached out and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face into his shoulder. I think I had been crying for a few minutes before I heard Angel talking to someone outside the bathroom door. _The flock's in trouble, Max,_ my Voice said.

"Well Fang and I aren't..." I started to shout into Fang's shoulder, then noticed I must sound crazy. He simply looked at me and nodded, realizing I was talking to the Voice. Quietly I continued. "We aren't exactly in the best condition either if you hadn't noticed."

_Look at your hands._ With a surge of curiosity and confusion, I did as the Voice said...and was amazed. My hands, as well as Fang's, were changing back into regular skin and regular fingernails. No claws, no fur. All's good. I think.

"Fang, Fang look!" I held one of his hands up for him to see, and he seemed to be a mirror image of what I thought I must've looked like.

_The clock is ticking Max, and your flock is in trouble!_ The Voice was becoming an annoyance again, but I told Fang what it said anyway.

Sighing, Fang took his arms off my waist where they had been that whole time. "We'll figure this out later. Let's just go for now."

With a final sniffle, I nodded and opened the door for him to get out. As we walked by the mirror, I couldn't help but check again. No Eraser Max. No problems.

Well, I thought there were no problems. That is until we got out of the bathroom and saw Angel staring straight at three fully grown Erasers, equipped with standard claws, fur, canines, wings, and...a horn?

_Greeeeeat. Part wolf, part bird, part human, and part um...unicorn?_ This day just kept getting better.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter 4. Um...R&R and enjoy! lol**

* * *

4

Well this was something different. The Erasers were just standing there. Angel was staring straight into the eyes of the one in the middle, and his face was slowly changing back to regain some of its human semblance. As I watched, he continued to de-morph until he looked as normal as the other people in the restaraunt. Well, except for the fact that the others had mind-numbingly terrified expressions on their faces at what they were seeing. Erasers didn't tend to have that kind of emotion built in.

Slowly and oh-so-carefully, Fang and I crept up behind Angel and leaned over her shoulder. "Angel, what are you telling him?" I asked her as quietly as I could, all the while keeping my eyes on the Erasers, who were now staring at their leader with confused looks.

Without turning her head or breaking the stare she had on the de-morphed Eraser, Angel said, "I told him to kill his friends."

Well okay.

Fang and I leaned back and exchanged looks of mixed confusion and horror. Our sweet little six-year-old Angel was becoming a ruthless killing machine. No worries there, none at all.

Suddenly, the leader of the Erasers jumped at one of his partners, the one on my side, and began to punch him in the stomach. _Owch._ I could've sworn I heard a rib crack as the first hit connected.

Fang rushed past Angel and I to get Gazzy, Nudge, and Iggy, who were all standing up and cautiously preparing to open their wings. But why weren't they attacking?

"I told them not to," said Angel, still without averting her stare from the leader Eraser, who was now pummeling his partners with a chair as they fought back as best they could. "I told them I can handle this. Isn't it great? We'll never have to fight Erasers again!"

In an instant, I grabbed Angel's arm and started steering her through the fighting Erasers towards the rest of the flock, who had now fully opened their wings, leaving the McDonald's patrons staring in awe. _Bet they're having quite a morning,_ my Voice chimed in. Odd, the Voice never seemed one to crack a joke at a time like this.

But anyway, the flock lightly took off and began hovering in midair, their wings creating a steady rhythm. Total was nestled in Fang's backpack as he had been when we entered the restaraunt. Everyone checked in and accounted for.

As Angel and I ran, I felt my own thirteen foot wingspan beginning to open up. Weird thing was, I don't even think I knew I was opening them. _Go with the flow,_ the Voice said. Wow, as if it had never said that.

"Max, where's Angel?" Fang called to me from across the restaraunt.

Woah, hello. Angel's small arm seemed to have disappeared from my hand. I looked back to see her still standing there, staring at the Eraser, as if I had never grabbed her. The nerve of that girl.

"Angel, come on!" I said without trying to sound too mean. Hah, too late for that. "Leave them, they can't catch us!"

Fang suddenly was rushing by me, grabbing Angel in his strong arms, and flying at top speed towards the exit with her, the rest of the flock following close behind. Okay, let Fang lead this time. I stole another glance at the fighting Erasers and noticed they had killed their leader and were now staring at me with bloodlust in their eyes. Well that's just fantastic.

As we took off from McDonald's, Erasers right on our tails, I mentally pencilled in my to-do list for the week. _One, find out why Fang and I are becoming Erasers. Two, ask Angel about this new "power" that keeps me from even touching her. Three, discover more on how I'm supposed to save the world._ I thought that would do it as the leading Eraser smashed his elbow into my back, then I remembered one more thing. _Four, survive until next week._


	5. Chapter 5

**I give you, chapter 5! Unfortunately, this may or may not be my last post for a few days, cos I'll be at my grandparent's house until Saturday. I'll try and post before we leave this afternoon but I can't promise anything. So for now, R&R and enjoy!**

* * *

5

Surviving until next week had never been easier. It turns out these Erasers may or may not have been dangerous on ground, but just like their predecessors, they were useless in the air.

As the leading Eraser slammed himself into my back, I remembered the Voice saying _Go with the flow_, and let the momentum push me into a forward flip that brought my foot around and up into his groin. _Ooooh, and the crowd goes wild!_ The Eraser let out some sound I'd never heard, somewhere between an angry roar and a whiny yelp, and plummeted to the ground below with his wings tucked in. One down.

Okay, two down. I whirled around just in time to see Fang and Gazzy grabbing the wings of the other Eraser and pulling them back as hard as they could until I heard a satisfying snap. With his wings broken, the other Eraser fell just as hard and fast as his partner had. _Note to self: Remember the "pull wings back until snap" tactic for future use._

After hovering in the air a moment to check for a chopper or more Erasers, we figured they had given up and continued our flight north.

"Well this has just been the most wonderful day so far," said Total, poking his small head out of Fang's backpack. The only talking dog in our group had such a sense of humor.

"You're telling me," I said with a grin. "Hey guys, I think I know where we need to go."

Instantly the flock stopped in midair and hovered, all staring at me. Well, except Iggy, but his eyes were looking in my direction.

"Really?" Nudge said with a smile.

_Here it comes,_ said the Voice.

"So, like, can we go back to Florida? Or maybe we can take a hike somewhere in the mountains. I hear it's really nice and cool up there, and we can find a small village somewhere nearby. Or can we go to Canada?"

Well, I can't say I saw the Canada part coming, but okay. "Sorry Nudge, I know it doesn't sound like the most fun, but I think we need to go back to New York."

"Really?" Fang asked with a slight look of confusion.

"Yeah. I think I need to find him again. The kid with the computer."

Fang gave a slight nod, and without another word from the flock (much to my surprise) we continued towards New York. Oh yeah, in case "the kid with the computer" doesn't quite cut it, let me clarify: The kid with the computer that somehow contained all the images that ran through my head during my brain attacks that seemed to have information on how to save the world. Yeah, that should do it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, ok this will definetely be my last post until Saturday night or Sunday afternoon, cos i'm leaving in 10 minutes, lol. But here's chapter 6. R&R and enjoy!**

* * *

6

Ari sat staring at the computer terminal, not even acknowledging Inferior Max's attempts to talk to him. It had only been a day or two since they were at Itex, inches away from death as that bomb went off. _Stupid bird kids,_ Ari thought, _they almost killed us all._ Now here they were, just the two of them, stranded back at the horrible School, waiting for Jeb to boss them around some more.

"What the hell are we waiting for?" Max 2 asked. Ari liked the new name. He found her inferior to the real Max and loved watching her beaten up by her superior counterpart. But she was still so damn annoying. "Why did Jeb send us back here? This place is disgusting!"

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Ari turned in his chair, breaking his gaze from the important documents on-screen, and glared at Max 2. "Just shut up. My 'father' wants us back here while they continue to hunt down the _real_ Max." He said the word "real" with a tone that made Max 2 flinch with anger. "He told me to bring us back here in the chopper so we could wait for them to catch her. Once they've eliminated the flock, they'll bring the real Max back."

"But...why?" Max 2 looked infuriated that they would bring her real self back here. "I can't face her again."

"You'll be dead anyway" is what Ari almost said, but instead he just turned back around in his chair to stare at the computer screen. "They want her so they can run some stupid tests which will probably kill her anyway." In his mind, Ari knew, of course, that Max would survive the tests, but he couldn't let Max 2 know. Not yet. "Then maybe my dad will actually appreciate me with her gone."

Max 2 was silent for a moment. "You really hate him, don't you? I mean...your father? Jeb?"

Ari didn't respond. After a few moments of silence, he flicked a button on the keyboard of the computer and pointed to something on screen. "When we were at Anne's house the other day, I happened to notice some papers that Max had left there." The seven-year-old-Eraser-boy suddenly took on a much softer and almost sad tone. "Some of the papers talked about a scientist that was arrested for illegal human experimentation."

Max 2 stared at Ari, her eyes widening with realization.

Ari continued. "Since we've been back here, I've been looking through some of Jeb's old files...and I found some stuff. Stuff about him, stuff about me, stuff about the real Max, and stuff about you. All in one file on this very computer."

"I don't get it...so that means..." Max 2 was speechless. On the computer screen where Ari was pointing was a picture of Jeb Batchelder. She knew his face all too well to know it was him. But there was something wrong.

"I don't understand it all either. That's why I want to find Max. I don't want them to kill her, 'cuz I think she can help me." Under Jeb Batchelder's picture was a name: ter Bocht.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, I guess I can write at my grandparent's computer. Yay! lol Anyway, here's chapter 7, enjoy!**

* * *

7

The New York subway tunnels had been my flock's save haven for a day or two back before we had headed out to Washington. The air was thick and the people thicker, but it still beat sitting in a cage at the School day and night waiting to die.

Well, that little _haven _had just gone up in flames. Literally.

"What happened?" Angel and Nudge had wrapped their small arms around my waist for comfort, shocked by the sight in front of them. We all were. "What happened here?" Nudge repeated.

A subway train seemed to have gone off the track and collided with the cement wall on the left side. The side that many homeless people had once called home. The side that was now a pile of burning rubble with rebars, cinderblock, and chunks of metal scattered everywhere. Oh, along with something else that made us almost lose our breakfasts. Bodies, hundreds of bodies. Bodies that my flock and I had once actually talked to. Bodies that would never breathe again.

I looked around to make sure my flock was all right. Nudge and Angel were still holding me tight and crying into my shirt, and Gazzy was over by Iggy explaining what it looked like. I saw Iggy's face slowly growing more horrified at what Gazzy was painting in his mind.

"Max, over here!" Fang called to me. I whipped around to see him crouching over something among the piles of wreckage. "You might wanna see this."

Nudge and Angel understood and let go of me, still crying, and wandered over to be with Gazzy and Iggy.

When I reached the point where Fang was, I noticed what he was examining in horrifying realization. It was the body of the kid with the computer I had met here so long ago. The kid who's computer possibly held the answers I needed to "save the world."

"And look at this," Fang said, pointing to something in the boy's head. "It wasn't the train that killed him." Lodged in the boy's head was a small bullet no bigger than a thimble.

Needless to say, we had seen enough blood and gore in our lives to be able to get along with this kind of thing. But this one took the cake. I lost it right then and there, spilling my breakfast all over the ruined train track below us. Fang crouched behind me and put his hand on my shoulder, sending a warm feeling through my whole body, and instantly I felt better. Was this another power? Or something else...

I looked up at Fang and noticed he was looking at me with a different sort of emotion in his eyes. The two of us just sat there staring at each other for a moment, then came back to reality and looked away. I think my cheeks flushed.

"Max?" Nudge was leading the rest of the flock over to where Fang and I were. "Is that boy here?"

My stomach started to churn again as I thought of the bullet in the boy's head. _Nudge can help,_ my Voice said.

Without caring how dumb I sounded, I said out loud, "How?"

_You all have powers._

It only took a second after that and I realized what the Voice meant. Slowly I took Nudge's small hand and lead her over to the boy's body. "Nudge...I need you to do something. It may really suck, but it might help us a lot." I couldn't believe I was doing this as I quietly asked her to place her hand on the boy's forehead. "Would you be able to see what happened if you did that, even if it was just for a second?"

Nudge nodded and reached out, here fingers mere inches from the boy's bullet wound. Suddenly I felt like Maximum Evil and grabbed her arm again. She turned her head and stared at me, her eyes showing no emotion. I whispered, "Are you sure about this? We can find out another way if you don't want to."

"I'm sure," Nudge whispered back to me. With that I released my grasp on her arm and she brushed her fingers gently over the boy's bullet wound. And screamed.

Fang and I were immediately on her, pulling as hard as we could at her arm, doing anything to get her away from the body. But she seemed glued to it, and not by choice. She screamed and panted, sweat pouring down her forehead, and suddenly came loose, flying back into Fang's strong arms. I rushed to Fang's side and took her from him, cradling her small head in my arms.

Nudge was still panting and gasping for breath, and I was crying, placing my hand on her forehead. Her temperature must have been at least a hundred. Another wave of guilt surged through me, and I placed my head softly on hers. "I'm so sorry Nudge. I'm so sorry." My voice was breaking and I didn't even care. The flock had seen me cry before, but they had never seen me order a small child to do something this terrible before. _Note to self: Smash face against a mirror and curse loudly later._

Suddenly I noticed Nudge's left hand had curled into a fist in my lap. Well, if she hit me, it would not only use up the rest of her strength, but it would be step one in my payback for this. But she didn't hit me. Instead, she lifted her fist in front of my face and slowly opened her eyes to look around at the flock, which at this point had circled around me. We all realized what she wanted and stacked our left fists on top of hers, then knocked each other's lightly with our right fists. I took Nudge's small right hand and knocked it against the other's fists for her.

"Nudge," I began again, but she stopped me.

"It's okay Max." Nudge's voice was giving out, and I could tell she was just about to fall unconscious. But before she did, she said one more thing. "Jeb shot the kid."


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's chapter 8. Um...yaaaaay, lol R&R and enjoy!**

* * *

8

Roland ter Bocht smiled. Today was the day. _I'll get them today_. The flock had led him straight to the wretched kid last time they were in New York. After killing his son, Type 26-A had left with her "family" to go to Florida. That's where he had told Type 31 to go. All it took after that was a shot to the head, and life was made easier. _She can't stop her destiny_.

Looking through his heat sensor, he saw them. All six members of the flock, Types 26-A through 31, assembled here in the subway system of New York. And they were tired. _Perfect_. After flying for almost a full day to reach the city, along with fighting off the small group of Erasers he had sent to find them, they would fall easily.

Roland stood from his hiding spot in the alleyway and walked casually into the subway entrance, taking no notice of the "CONSTRUCTION UNDER WAY" sign posted above the arch. He had already memorized the route to the crash site just by looking at the maps his Erasers had sent him. Down the south tunnel, take a right through the first door, down east tunnel, a left, and up the south tunnel about one hundred feet. And he was there.

So was the flock. Roland pulled a small handgun from his pocket as the flock turned and stared at him, anger and fear filling their eyes. "Hello, Section 2-A."

* * *

Well, I sure as hell didn't know what "Section 2-A" meant, but Jeb had a handgun, and he was alone. Which meant we had an advantage. I gently put Nudge on the ground and lay her head on a smooth piece of concrete, then stood up and braced myself, side-by-side with Fang. "Do you know anything about this, Jeb?" I shouted.

Then something strange happened. Jeb Batchelder pulled the gun up and aimed it straight at Gazzy. "Jeb? Oh right, I remember him."

Woah. Okay, so Jeb had to try and remember himself? "What are you talking about? Put the gun down, Jeb!" I unfurled my wings and the flock followed along. "Put the gun down...or we'll kill you."

"He told me you might do something like this." Jeb held the gun firm and pulled the safety trigger. Now he was truly ready to kill. "You would really watch Type 30 die, just to kill me?"

Of course I still didn't know what he meant by Type 30, but I realized he had a horrible point. _That's not the Jeb you used to know, _the Voice said softly in my head. In my mind I told it that I knew that Jeb was long since gone. This was a new Jeb. But the Voice had something else to say. _That's not the Jeb you've ever known_. Well this was certainly mind-wracking.

Nevertheless, I knew that whether this was Jeb or not, I couldn't let him kill any member of my flock, even if it meant getting revenge. I waved my arm so the flock could see, now that I was in front, and we all closed our wings simultaneously. "Jeb, or whoever you are, what do you want?"

Jeb pulled the handgun towards Fang this time. "I want you, Type 26-A." And he pulled the trigger.

Okay, so it wasn't a "killing" handgun, but instead a handgun filled with sedative darts. Fang gasped for a second, then fell forward with a small dart embedded in his neck. I let out a yell of rage and leapt at Jeb, ready to do anything necessary to tear him to shreds. But he was too quick, and before I had moved more than a few feet, I heard a _whoosh _sound and felt a small needle pierce my neck. My knees suddenly felt like jelly, and I crumpled to the ground without a sound. As I was falling unconscious, I heard the flock all around me, fighting off what sounded like Erasers that must've just shown up. I figured there was no chance with Fang and I out, but decided to pray for them anyway with my last bit of strength. _Um...God? Please don't let us die. Not yet_.

* * *

**End of Part 1**


	9. Chapter 9

**Huzzah, so we begin part 2! party cheers, confetti galore Ok enough of that. Anyway, R&R and enjoy!

* * *

Part 2 – Max vs. The Man**

9

"Fang, Fang wake up!" I called quietly to Fang, who was lying motionless on the ground next to me. The rest of the flock was scattered around the room, all still unconscious. I guess they had lost in their battle against the Erasers and Jeb. That is, assuming it was Jeb.

"Fang, please wake up." My voice grew softer, more desperate, and I gave up in trying to bring Fang back to me. Slowly I sat up and immediately noticed the same pain coursing through me that had awoken me a few minutes ago. It felt as if every bone in my body was made of rubber, burnt rubber, and it took every ounce of strength just to open my eyes and look at our new _home_.

Ah yes, the infamous cage style house. I had known this home only the first few years of my life before Satan (that's Jeb) rescued the flock and I from the School. Before he turned on us, of course.

Now here we were, back in a giant cage, and who would've guessed it'd be Jeb that brought us back?

"Max, where are we?" Fang's voice came from behind me, and I whirled around painfully to see him sitting up with his legs crossed.

"Good question," I answered. "Looks like we're back in a cage." Fang gave me a look that said "well duh!" I chuckled a bit and continued. "As to where the cage is, I have no idea."

"Hmm, it doesn't look like the School, does it?" I shook my head, and Fang looked around again. "But it's definitely not Itex, it's too old."

Any ideas? I asked my Voice. No response, of course.

"That man said he was taking us Home." Angel's weak voice startled me a bit, and I looked to my left to see her sitting up close to Fang and I.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" I asked, feeling as if I had ignored her, which I hadn't. She nodded, so I continued on. "What do you mean, Home? Did you hear him say that or did you pick it up in his head?"

"He kept saying it in his mind. He kept going on about 'I gotta take them Home, I gotta take them Home.' I dunno what he meant by it though." Angel was silent a minute as we all thought about what this could have meant, then suddenly a frightened look crossed her face. "Where's Total?"

Panic filled my mind and I looked to Fang. "Was he in your backpack in the subway?"

"Yeah," said Fang. "But they must have taken my backpack after bringing us here."

At that moment, a knock came from the cage's small iron door. I stood up, pain still attacking my legs, made my way to the door, and looked through the glass window. It was Ari.

Without a single word (which completely surprised me) Ari pressed a button on his side of the door and the glass window opened. "What do you," I began, but Ari held up something. It was Total, still sleeping soundly in Fang's backpack. I was wary for a moment, but then hesitantly reached my arms out. Still shockingly enough, Ari did and said nothing but hand the backpack to me, along with something else that Angel recognized immediately.

"Celeste!"

* * *

**Okay I need help on this one. I wrote this but realized I need to re-read the 1st book. Can someone help tell me if she ever did get Celeste back? If not, that's what I'm going for, but I'll change it if she did. It's been a while since I read the book and I just can't seem to remember lol!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay, so I screwed up in the last chapter, and my original plan broke apart, but I fixed it! lol I'm reading the first book as I write this and I just found the part where she got Celeste back, so I'm just changing from my first idea. Anyway...here's chapter 10! R&R and enjoy!**

* * *

10

Angel ran at the door, nearly knocking me over, and grabbed Celeste from Ari's outstretched arm.

"Angel, where did you leave Celeste?" I asked, tugging Angel softly away from the door.

"She was in Fang's bag with Total, so Ari saved her." Angel smiled briefly, then trotted off and sat down with Fang, playing with Celeste and letting Total gently out of the backpack. Well, I don't know if I would have worded it that way, but whatever. So Ari _saved_ Celeste and Total, big deal?

"I found something, Max," Ari said in his rough Eraser voice. But there was something different in his tone. He almost sounded afraid, an emotion I never thought I would hear from him.

"What are you talking about?" I was really curious at this point. If something actually made Ari turn this serious, it must be important.

Ari's face was solemn as he pressed another button…and the cage door opened. Wow, this was a serious turn around. Or was he just trying to get into the cage and attack us? _Be careful,_ the Voice said. _Prepare to attack if he strikes first_.

Taking the Voice's warning, I braced myself for the worst. But as it turned out, the _worst_ was Ari stepping aside and motioning for me to come out of the cage. "What the heck are you doing?" I asked, still braced for any surprises he may have for me.

"I know this sounds crazy, but I need you to trust me if you and your flock want to live." Ari was dead serious; I didn't even have to be able to read minds like Angel to figure that one out. "But I can only bring you out for now, the rest can come later."

"Never." And that was my final response. There was no way I was leaving the flock alone, especially in a cage. And if Ari was going to try and bring me by force, he had another thing coming.

But again he surprised me by simply standing there, staring at me with a certain longing in his eyes. He wasn't going to try and force me. But I could tell he still needed my help for…something.

Angel's soft voice came from behind me, where she was now standing, cradling Total and Celeste in her arms. "He's not lying, Max. It's really important, and only you can go with him."

"Angel…" That was all I could manage. I looked from Angel to Fang, who gave a confused look and shrugged. Then I looked at the flock and a knot caught in my stomach, thinking of what might happen if I never came back to them.

_She said he's not lying_. The Voice was stating what I already knew again. _You should trust HER if you trust anybody_.

I almost laughed at that. So now I'm going to put my trust in the same girl who had manipulated the president not too long ago? Sure, that's safe. But I knew it was true; if I wasn't going to trust Ari, I might as well trust Angel about what his thoughts said.

I sighed and slowly stepped towards the door, still keeping alert in my mind.

"Want me to wake up everyone else?" Fang asked.

I turned around again and shook my head. "No, let them sleep. I won't be gone long." Well, I hoped I wouldn't be gone long at least.

Once I had reached the door, tension filling every muscle in my body, Ari slowly closed it behind me and proceeded down a long, dark hall.

We didn't speak that whole time, even though there was a whole load of things I wanted to question him about. _Let him show you what he needs to show you_. Yeah, thanks Voice, just take his side.

"Don't scream, don't make any noise when we get in here, or we'll both probably be killed," Ari said as he opened a door when we had finally reached the end of the hall. Okay, easy enough. Don't scream, don't die.

But the "don't scream" part turned out to be harder than I thought. When Ari opened the door, we entered an enormous testing lab filled with cages and computers, testing tubes and capsules. And there were Erasers crawling wall to wall, Erasers prowling the ground, Erasers with guns.

"Ari…are we…" I lost my voice as I nearly began to panic, realization flooding my senses, sending me into a whirlwind of horrible and painful memories.

"I'm sorry Max," Ari said, turning to me and staring with sincerity in his eyes and voice. We were at the School. Again.


	11. Chapter 11

**Well here's chapter 11. I know it's short, but i was lazy and tired and didn't feel like writing much cos my fingers hurt, lol. I'll post more in due time though. R&R and enjoy!**

**and...this is my temporary line cos for some reason i can't get the nice little gray line to show up, stupid computer, lol**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

11

Erasers…everywhere there were Erasers. And I could do nothing about it. I couldn't run, for Ari had closed the door behind us, and I certainly couldn't fight this many by myself. Even with the flock together I don't think we could have fought this many of them. There must have been hundreds. Maybe a thousand. All in one small lab in the dreadful School. All ready to kill me at Ari's command.

But the command never came. Ari walked across the room and pressed a button on one of the computers, then looked back and motioned for me to come to him. I hesitated, then slowly stepped forward, watching every Eraser as best I could. They were all staring at me, completely still, guns drawn, and not hardly making a sound. I drew a sharp breath and continued walking cautiously until I was standing right next to Ari, every muscle in my body completely drawn and tense.

_Relax, and pay attention to what he wants._ Gee thanks Voice, you're not helping.

"Max, I found some…stuff," Ari said, pressing another button on the computer's keyboard, then motioning towards an opened file on the desk next to me. I grabbed the small white folder and opened it, and out spilled four pieces of paper. "Read the one on top." Without a word, I complied with his wish.

**_SUBJECT: TYPE 26 VERSION 1 _**

**_SUBJECT EXPERT: DOCTOR ROLAND TER BOCHT _**

**_SUBJECT LOCATION: ITEX HEADQUARTERS, FLORIDA _**

**_Subject to be transferred to Lab 19 in the next week. If subject refuses or is unable to proceed with the transfer, subject will be terminated on site. If subject completes transfer, subject will be grouped with Section 2. _**

**_SECTION 2: TYPE 27, TYPE 28, TYPE 29, TYPE 30, TYPE 31 _**

**_SECTION 2 EXPERTS: DOCTOR ROLAND TER BOCHT _**

**_ DOCTOR JEB BATCHELDER _**

**_Section 2 will not be permitted to leave Lab 19 until all temporary testing has been completed successfully. _**

**_SECTION 2 CHAPERONE UPON TEMPORARY LEAVE: DOCTOR JEB BATCHELDER_**

After that, there were two different pictures of Jeb, then pictures of my flock. Well, I certainly had something to keep me busy for a while.

"And that's not all," Ari said, and it startled me. I was so wrapped up in trying to figure out what this paper was talking about that I had forgotten for a moment where I was. "Look at this." Ari pointed to something on the computer screen in front of us.

"What kind of…" I started, but was cut off.

"It's no trick," said Ari with a grave tone. "There's no camera trick here, just pay attention." And I did, and what I saw startled and confused me. The screen seemed to be output from a security camera, I guessed somewhere in the School, and it showed a lab much like the one Ari and I were standing in. But in this lab were what appeared to be two Jebs. And one of them was changing into an Eraser right before my eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

**Huzzah for chapter 12! lol ummm, the usual, R&R and enjoy!**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

12

I fell to the ground, right in front of Ari, clutching my head. It felt like my skull was going to burst as I let out a cry of pain, then curled up and released a short moan. Was it the headaches again? Or maybe…oh no. I gathered enough strength to pull my hands up in front of my face, just in time to watch them morph into clawed, furry, Eraser hands. I screamed again and let my hands feel my face, which had now grown into a long wolf-like snout, complete with sharp fangs and more dark hair.

What was happening to me? Was I finally becoming a full Eraser? I remembered not too long ago when I had told Fang to kill me if I should ever become an Eraser. Maybe…maybe this was it.

_You will save the world. Don't give up now, and don't let this stop you. _The Voice couldn't have bugged me more than it did right then. "I don't care!" I noticed I was screaming out loud but didn't seem to care at all. "I don't care about saving the world! It's not my job, it's not my flock's job, and it never will be!"

_You can't escape your destiny. _"Shut up!" I shouted, and without thinking I stood up and smashed my head against the desk in front of me. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt at all, and I did it again and again until I could taste blood in my mouth that had run down my forehead. Way to go, Max.

Ari was staring at me for a moment with the same emotionless eyes he always had, then leaned over my pitiful, crouching form, and wiped his finger across my head, stopping the flow of blood. I turned my head to look at him, and noticed tears running down my face. "Ari…why?" I whimpered. I couldn't believe it. I never thought I would stoop this low. But I had had enough.

"Why what?" he whispered softly. "Why are you becoming an Eraser? Why is my father an Eraser? Why do you need to save the world?"

"Why everything!" I was still crying and crouching on the ground, but something awkward and unbelievable happened at that point. Ari put his arm around my shoulders and held me there for the strangest moment of my life. And that's saying a lot for having lived with a flock of bird-kids forever.

"I can't tell you everything. But what I can say is that you and I will do something spectacular. And it's not too far off either."

"What are you talking about?" I wasn't crying anymore, and Ari had released his embrace, but my eyes still felt swollen from the dried tears.

"Just look at this." Ari helped me up from the ground and pointed again at the computer monitor, which still showed the two Jebs, one of which was now a fully morphed Eraser. "Listen." Ari flicked a switch on the edge of the small screen, and voices instantly crackled into life. By reading their lips, I could tell it was the two Jebs talking.

"_So you really think Type 26 knows?"_

"_Yes, my son is probably informing her of everything as we speak." _I still couldn't believe it, but when I heard it, Eraser Jeb's voice sounded exactly like the Jeb I had used to love.

"_You mean MY son!"_

"_He's my son too, and you know it. You just can't live with the fact that I'm the superior, and I'm number two!"_

"_Shut up! Just because you may be stronger doesn't mean you're the original. Ari is still my son, and even though you try to pretend, even though you told Section 2 that he was your son, you know it's all lies!"_

"_What? Just like this game you're playing? It's human lives, Roland! Human lives! Children that you mixed with stupid birds. They can never be normal now!"_

The guy named Roland pulled out a small handgun, the same one I'd seen in the subways back in New York, and aimed it straight at Eraser Jeb.

_"The flock still thinks I'm you. Ever since you left them, they've thought I was you. I thought I had created the perfect human with Type 26, but she's as naïve as the others! Well, now there won't be any confusion with you gone, will there?"_

_"Roland, even if you kill me, you know Type 26…I mean, Max, will eventually meet her goal, her reason for living. You can't change that!"_

_"Hmm, maybe I can't change that she'll save someone, but maybe it doesn't need to be the world. I created Type 26 A and B as tests, but if something stronger were to destroy them, they'd have no one left to save but each other, now would they?"_

Eraser Jeb just stared at Roland, wide eyed and open mouthed. _"Roland…you wouldn't kill me…I'm a part of you."_

"_I know, that's why I must kill you. I was created to be the perfect human, but it was a horrible failure, we all know that. I was Type 1. And you were my successor, Type 1-B. But we were both failures, now weren't we? Maybe before I die I'll at least do some good by destroying Section 2 and Type 26-B. I WILL create the perfect human, Type 27!" _Without another word, Roland fired the gun, which was now loaded with real bullets, and Eraser Jeb fell to the ground, blood already pooling under his head.

"Ari…" I stared wide-eyed at Ari, and he looked as if he was about to cry. I hadn't seen him this way since…well since before he became an Eraser.

"That was my father…the one named Roland." Ari broke down and fell to the floor the way I had moments before.

_He's hurt more than you can imagine,_ the Voice said, and for once I wasn't annoyed with it. I leaned over and touched Ari gently on the shoulder.

"Max…" Ari was choking down a sob as he continued, "I…I'm not the real Ari, the one you knew. The one you killed. I'm Type 25-B."

Well this was surely some depressing news. So not only had I apparently obliterated the _real _Ari, but the one standing before me was a mere clone. _Just like the Jeb you once loved. _The Voice really knew how to put a lump in your throat with just the wrong thing to say at the wrong time.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**So do you think you caught everything in that chapter? If you answered "yes" then I applaud you for keeping up with the constant insanity of my mind, if you answered "no" then you are probably a normal human being. Good for you! lol Will post more soon!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Yay for chapter 13. Not much more to say than R&R and enjoy!**

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

13

"What do you mean?" I asked Ari, slowly helping him off the ground. "25-B?"

Ari wiped his muscled arm across his swollen, red eyes, and then began. "I'm…I'm part two of the Ari you knew when he was a child. I still have all the same memories as that Ari, but I'm just…" Ari sighed and almost began sobbing again. "I'm inferior to him. Just like 26-B is inferior to you. Get it?"

It hit me then, and I remembered the other Max. Wow, had I completely forgotten about her with all that had been happening lately? Apparently so.

Ari continued. "Look at these files. I found them on Jeb…I mean Roland's computer a few days ago. As you heard them saying, Roland's been tricking us into thinking he's Jeb, and we were stupid enough to believe him. I thought he was the father I loved! But I guess not, he's a traitor." Ari pulled out the last three papers in the file I had seen on the desk. Each of the other three only had one picture on them; first a picture of Ari, then a picture of the other Max, then a picture of Jeb. Well…Jeb Batchelder, not that Roland guy. "These are pictures of what they like to call Section 2-B. All of us are inferior; your copy, me, and Roland's copy who took the name Jeb. And we're all to be terminated."

Ari was completely silent as he handed me the three files and I read them. Without going into too much detail, I'll say this much. Basically the files all stated exactly what Ari had just told me, that all of them were clones and that they were part of something called 2-B, and they were all scheduled for extermination.

But then a thought occurred to me and I had to ask Ari. "Ari, what about my copy? She was with us that day back at Itex. How come they didn't kill her then?"

Ari sighed and looked away from me. "They were messing with you. Roland wanted to see if you were truly superior to the copy he'd made. And I guess you proved him right."

"Okay, how does this all fit in with anything else?" I realized how odd that must have sounded, but I didn't care. This was _waaay_ too much information to take in at one time, what with all the clone and Eraser talk, and…

"Ari, why am I becoming an Eraser?" Saying it in my head had made me remember that I was still morphed.

Ari looked at me with sadness in his eyes, and I knew what he was going to say before he said it. "I don't know." Yep, just as I thought. "But we can find out if you'll help me. I think this is all part of how we're supposed to 'save the world' Max. You and I and your flock. You becoming an Eraser is all part of Roland's plan, but we can change it if we find out enough. We can save the world…from Roland."

And in that moment, something that had been plaguing my mind for the last few minutes finally made sense. I don't know how or why, but it just hit me right then and there, and instantly I was mentally picturing those files Nudge and I had read on a computer at a school in Washington D.C. not so long ago. _Roland ter Bocht. A crazy man sent to prison for illegal human experimentation. But he wasn't really sent to prison…was he? He created me, and he created a clone of himself that I learned to love. Jeb Batchelder. _Suddenly tears formed silently in my eyes again as a wave of guilt flooded my senses. _I thought Jeb was evil the last few weeks. All he wanted to do was save me and help me live. _

I mentally made a note to tell the flock about what Ari had told me, just as I looked at my hands and noticed they were normal again. Weird thing was, that was the least of my concerns at that point in time.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Well, think you're keeping up? If so, that's good. If not, you maaaay wanna read it again, cos it's only gonna get more chaotic from here on out, lol**


	14. Chapter 14

**Well, here's chapter 14. And I have a question, does anybody really WANT me to continue this? Or are you just hanging on? Cos everyone's saying it's too confusing, which is completely understandable. But does anybody really WANT to continue reading it? The ideas I have set for this story...well let's put it this way. I understand them, but I'm only HOPING everyone else will. So I need your thoughts. Shall I continue? Cos if it's only confusing people and NO ONE's getting it, I'll drop it here and do something else. Or shall I drop it? It's up to you guys. Anyway, R&R and tell me what you think, and enjoy this (possibly but hopefully NOT last) chapter!**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

14

I sat on the ground next to Ari and tried to mentally checklist everything I understood so far. This was too much. Too much, and way too fast. _Okay. Roland ter Bocht is a geneticist who was actually…created? Yes, he was created by someone more powerful, because he mentioned himself as being Type 1. I would guess that means he's the first of his kind? Sure, we'll go with that. Anyway, then by himself he apparently created a clone of himself, Type 1-B. Or…Jeb Batchelder. The only man I ever trusted. _

A horrible stomach-churning feeling of guilt washed over me again. _I never got to say goodbye to him. The real Jeb. It was Roland the whole time. Capturing Angel. Telling us it was all a test. _And now apparently trying to destroy the world. But how? And why?

"We've gotta hurry, you need to get back or Roland will know," Ari's voice had a tone of urgency in it now. He was looking into the computer screen, watching as Roland left the room, leaving Jeb's body in a pool of blood on the floor. "He'll be coming to find me. He told me earlier he needed to talk to me, and now I think I know why."

"How come?" I was beginning to stand up and regain some form of composure.

"There's no time, just come on!" Ari grabbed my arm and ran at the lab entrance at full speed…just in time to have three Erasers knock us back onto the ground just a few feet from the door. "What the hell are you doing?" Ari yelled at the Erasers as he stood and faced them, fury filling his eyes.

The Erasers stood motionless, staring at Ari and I. Ari stepped forward and the Erasers all drew their guns. Okay, so now we had almost a thousand guns from almost a thousand Erasers laser sighting us. Any ideas, Voice?

Apparently the Voice did have some advice. _Just stay calm_. Wow, thanks for that. I began sweating and felt I was closer to death now than I had ever been. I thought about what the flock would do without me, and terror filled my senses. I had to get out of here.

"I said to stay calm." _Voice, just shut up._ But something was wrong, it didn't sound like the Voice anymore. It wasn't inside my head. "I'm not going to shut up, Max. I never will. Not until you begin listening."

I turned around and noticed something that sent a wave of panic and anger through me. Roland ter Bocht was rising out of the floor of the lab on a small steel platform attached to wires. Surrounding him were ten Erasers, all with their gun's lasers aimed at my chest. "So nice to see you again, Max." Roland's voice was exactly like Jeb's had always been. And he of course looked just like Jeb as well. Jeb was his clone. I guess that made sense. "I guess now you know, don't you?"

At first I assumed he meant that I knew Jeb was only a clone of him. But then I realized what he truly meant. In Roland's right hand he held a small silver box with six buttons on it. Roland pressed one of the buttons and lifted the box to his mouth. No…this couldn't be happening. I could hear his voice in my head…and right in front of me. "Saved the world yet, Maximum?" _Saved the world yet, Maximum?_


	15. Chapter 15

**Well everyone's telling me to continue, so I shall until either my head explodes from exhaustion or the fanfic is complete, lol Here's chapter 15, and I have a quick side note. Everything that I've explained so far may be farfetched or crazy (like me, hahahah) but it will all be explained in detail eventually. There are even some things described in this chapter that you're not meant to fully understand right now. Remember this is all from Max's point of view, so I like to think of it as you're learning WITH her, not AHEAD of her. When she realizes something, hopefully you will too. Anyway, enough rambling from me, R&R and enjoy!**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

15

Oh my God. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be true. _But it is, Maximum._ I could hear his horrible voice in my head and from his figure, now a mere twenty feet away. "Shut up!" I yelled. "Why are you in my head? What do you want?"

Roland ter Bocht smiled and laughed, then walked towards me. With each step he took, the Erasers around him advanced as well, creating a wall of torturers. "Oh dear Maximum. I remember when you were just born." Roland grabbed a small black box from his pocket the same size as the voice box, also with six small switches. He flicked one and a pain like no other surged through my skull, threatening to drive me insane. I looked at my hands as I fell to the floor, watching as the Eraser-like fur and claws sprung forth again.

"Why is this happening?" I screamed. I thought once again that I would die here, and thoughts of the flock surged through me.

"When you were created back at Itex, we only had one of you." Roland continued speaking, now a few inches away from me, without seeming to notice my pain. "We thought one of you would be enough, but apparently we were wrong."

His words sent confusion through me, and I had to ask. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You've met your other self, you know very well what the hell I'm talking about. Anyway, Max, what you don't know is what we put inside of you."

"The chip, I already know. I saw it in an X-ray. What's your point?"

"No, no, no, Max. Not the chip. I already knew you found that when you went to the hospital in Colorado. What you don't know is what else we gave you. We gave you lupine genes along with avian genes, Max!" Great, just as I had feared. Apparently I was part Eraser, part bird, and part human. "This is something we gave only you. This is why you're the nearly perfect human I always longed for!"

"NEARLY perfect?" It wasn't so much that I was jealous of whoever the PERFECT human was, I was just curious as to what he meant.

"You were born just like the rest of your flock. Except of course, you were born at a different facility." Ah. So that's what the sheet meant. I recalled reading about Type 26 being created at Itex. "We transferred you to Section 2 at the School when you were but a year old."

Something still didn't fit. "But…why? Why did you move me to be with the flock?"

Roland laughed again and leaned down close to me. "We already went over this Max," he whispered into my ear. "You're imperfect. You have feelings and emotions. You need friends to keep you going or you'll probably die." Well at least now I knew I was still part human. I wasn't a robot. "That's why we tried to clone you just as I cloned myself. However, it would seem your clone was also imperfect. She had feelings, not necessarily the kind of feelings you have, but she certainly wasn't suited for killing."

I remembered not too long ago, back at Itex headquarters, when Max 2 had almost killed me until I pinned her down. "You're wrong. She could have killed me if she wanted to. I guess now that I think about it, it was you that stood there watching us, not Jeb. You should know what happened."

"Indeed, I saw every bit of the fight. Although your clone may have been suited for killing emotionally, she was still too weak. That's why we terminated her."

Oh God. A strange feeling swept over me. I knew I would never kill Max 2, nor had she been my friend, but she was still my clone. She still had a life like me. And now it was gone. And I felt…well I felt like crying for her. _Note to self: Get payback for Max 2._


	16. Chapter 16

**Eh, I know it's short, but it's 10 p.m. and I'm sleepy. lol Darn my 15-year old metabolism of not being able to stay focused for too long at one time! ...Oh look...a butterfly lol Anyway, chapter 16, R&R and enjoy!**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

16

I sat there, pain still coursing through my brain, trying to understand everything Roland was telling me. It was just too much. Was I really born at Itex, and was I really part Eraser? And how could Max 2 just die like that? It all seemed so surreal.

"I know it doesn't seem true," Roland's voice had turned sweeter. He sounded sickingly like I always imagined a father would sound. "But it is. It's all real. The Jeb you know and love is dead, along with your clone, Max 2."

Out of nowhere, Ari leapt over me and plowed headfirst into Roland, fangs and claws baring, ready to kill. "You killed her? I hate you! I hate you!" Ari screamed as an Eraser kicked him hard in the ribs, knocking him to the floor with blood streaming from his mouth. He tried to get back up, but Erasers were on him in a flash, kicking him and beating him with the ends of their rifles.

I tried to get up, but Roland was yelling into the silver box now, and it was eradicating my senses. _Don't try to fight it, Maximum! My son made the choice! He chose to fight me, he chose to love you, and now he's choosing to die! Just like the pathetic creature he always was! _For a second I couldn't believe that Ari's own father was saying these horrible things, right there in front of him, but then I realized whom I was dealing with. Roland was the new public enemy number one.

And apparently I was now his puppet. Flicking the switch on his black box again, I screamed and realized I wanted nothing more than to die. Right here, right now, just curl up and die. Pain was inching its way through every fiber of my being, tearing me apart from the inside. For the first time in a while, I felt like taking a seashell and carving my wrist open, just to get that damn chip out. Then I'd truly lay a can of whup-ass on Roland.

Instead I watched in horror as Ari was killed by his father's minions, and then tossed aside like a rag doll. I knew that would be me soon as Roland came to me and whispered something into my ear before hooking a gas mask to my mouth.

"Sweet dreams, Max. We'll talk in the morning."


	17. Chapter 17

**Mmmmm chapter 17. Not much to say. R&R and enjoy! lol**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

17

The rest of the flock was awake at this point, and Fang was getting worried. _Max, where the heck are you? _Max had gone with Ari over an hour ago, and there was still no sign of her return.

"Fang…" Angel's voice drifted in from behind where Fang was sitting in the cage. She sounded as worried as he felt, but he wouldn't show it like everyone else did. He was stronger than that.

"Yeah, Angel?"

Angel wandered over quietly and sat next to Fang with Total and Celeste nestled in her lap. Total leapt into Fang's arms, licked his face, and then jumped back to Angel. "Total and I are scared. So is Celeste. What if Max doesn't come back?"

Fang sighed and put his arm around Angel's tiny shoulders. "Don't say that Angel. It'll be okay. Max is strong, she would've known if what she was doing were dangerous. She'll be fine." He almost thought to himself "What a load of bull" but realized Angel could be listening to his thoughts and quieted his mind.

"The rest of the flock is worried too, Fang. They're not saying anything, but the same thoughts keep going through their mind. We're all worried."

As Angel stood up and made her way back towards Nudge, she whispered to Fang "even you."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Roland couldn't believe how lucky he had been today. It was like a birthday party! The flock was all here; even Maximum, and now all the clones were dead! His clone, Max's, and now his son's, all dead, all by his hand! He felt like giving praise to himself for a deed well done.

Carefully, Roland took the hair samples he had collected from the clones and placed them on The Machine. He thought to himself for only a second what a dumb name it was for something, then ignored the thought and continued. He placed the samples of Jeb, fake Ari, and Max 2 on The Machine, then added samples of his and real Max's blood. _This one will be right._

With an evil grin spread from ear to ear, Roland flicked a switch on The Machine. _This one will be better. _

Watching as his plans unfolded, Roland pressed another few buttons on The Machine and waited five seconds, just as he had done with the others. _This one will be stronger. _

This time, however, after the five seconds were done, Roland did something that he had never thought of until now. Instead of throwing a human into The Machine, Roland threw himself in. _This one will be faster._

Lights flashed and chemicals spilled from The Machine's core, threatening to destroy the entire lab. Roland felt himself changing; wings, four enormous black wings, emerged from his back. _This one will be perfect!_

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**End of Part 2**


	18. Chapter 18

**And so we begin part 3, chapter 18. R&R and enjoy!**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Part 3 – Stopping a Madman from Destroying the World for Idiots**

18

I woke up in the same cage at the School later that day with a terrible headache splitting my skull. Well, what was I expecting? Something more comfortable? Being comfortable wasn't an issue in my life.

The entire flock was awake, and I saw them all watching me, as if I was some strange creature…oh no. Even though I was just waking up, I had enough strength to pull my hands up to my face. Whew. No Eraser hands.

Angel and Nudge came running at me and I wrapped them up in my arms. They were both crying. "It's okay, it's okay," I whispered into their ears.

"What did Jeb do to you? And where's Ari?" asked Fang, bringing Gazzy and Iggy over to sit with me.

I sighed and let the two girls finish before sitting them down next to me. Then I spent what must have been half an hour relating everything that had happened. No one ever said anything; they were completely intent on listening to what I had to say. There were some confused expressions, and they all (except Fang) gasped when I mentioned that the real Jeb was dead and that Roland had deceived us.

When I was finished, everything went silent in the cage. We were all looking at the floor, trying to process it all. Finally, Fang spoke. "So what now?"

I was surprised. I figured it'd be someone else to ask that. "I'm not sure. We need to get out of here for starters."

"But we're Roland's prisoners, aren't we?" asked Iggy. "Think about it. You said it was a voice box that let him talk in your head, right? And you said the box had six switches?"

"Yeah, there were six buttons on that. And the one that gave me the headaches also had six…" I felt so stupid. I'd never even thought much of the fact that both boxes had six switches. Way to go, Max.

"Great, he can do whatever he wants with us," said Gazzy.

"Unless…" Iggy's confidence grew as he continued, "unless we can short circuit or even destroy the boxes. If someone can get Roland into the cage and get the box, I think I can destroy its wiring."

"Sounds good," I said. "I think before he put me to sleep this morning that he mentioned wanting to speak with me in the morning. That must mean he's coming in. Everyone get ready. If he has Erasers we'll have to fight. And chances are he'll have Erasers."

Well, it sounded like a good plan. That is, until I heard Roland's wretched voice in my head. The Voice.

_I see then. So you're smart enough to create a plan? Maybe you're closer to perfect than I thought! _The Voice laughed at this and continued on. _You forgot about the fact that I won't be coming anywhere near you. Not yet anyway. First you and your "family" will all need to die. I'll let my Erasers take care of that. After that it'll be easy for me._

"Roland, you're insane!" I shouted at no one in particular. I knew he could hear me though; he had been listening to our whole conversation. "Why are you doing all this?"

Does it matter to you what I'm doing? You'll be dead in a matter of hours, and you won't be able to stop me when you're dead, now will you?

"That's…that's not what I meant." Of course it was, but I needed to ask him something else that had been bugging me. "Why did you create us? All of us! All your sick and twisted experiments. What's the point in it?"

Roland laughed in my head. _Because I want others to know how it was for me. I too was created, I already told you this. After the experiment performed on me, I became Type 1. And everyone hated me! _Roland's voice was starting to become more cynical, and I could tell he was losing his mind. Again. _I wasn't grafted with wings like you though. I don't get the luxury of being able to fly. No, I was created as a filthy Eraser like my son! _

I sighed and thought of something else. "Roland…who was it? Who created you?"

Silence. There was a dreadful silence filling the cage and my head now. Finally, Roland spoke again. _You know very well who it is. My wife created me. She was the insane one. It wasn't me! She grafted the DNA of an Eraser into me as a game! _

"I don't get it! Who did this to you, Roland?"

Another long silence filled the room as I waited for him to say "Anne Walker." But he didn't. _Her name is Doctor Martinez. _


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19, you know the drill, lol R&R and enjoy!**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

19

My head was spinning out of control at that point. There was no way. Dr. Martinez…was she really in league with the School or Itex? Or even both? She seemed so intrigued long ago when she found out I had wings. But maybe this was why… Maybe she really was the bad guy. I didn't want to think about that until I knew it was true.

I stared at nothing in particular for a long time. Fang came to me and put his arm around my shoulders, but I couldn't feel it. I was numb with physical and emotional pain, and nothing would heal it for now. "Roland," I said blankly, knowing he could still hear me, "are you telling me the truth? Dr. Martinez…she couldn't really be…your wife. Could she?"

_But she is. It may be hard to believe. But yes, Ella is indeed my daughter. I was married to Lisa Martinez for only a few years before she did this to me. She was curious about the human genes, and wanted someone to test it on. But I told her not to use the baby whom at that time she was pregnant with. So instead she used me! I never even got to see my own daughter born._

"I'm sorry, Roland. But that doesn't give you a right to do this."

_What the hell do you know about this? You have no idea what I've been through! My wife had our first daughter whom I've never even seen, and then she goes off with some random stranger and has Ella. I have as much a right to destroy her as anyone!_

Something wasn't adding up as I listened to Roland's story. "Wait, you've never seen your first daughter?"

_No! After Lisa experimented with me she left with our daughter and took on her old name, Martinez. That's right, she used to be Lisa ter Bocht, but I guess she just couldn't stand being with a mutant that SHE CREATED!_

Roland was yelling into the box now, I could tell because it was rattling my brain around inside my skull. I tried to tone it out but I couldn't.

Out of nowhere, Roland completely changed subject. I guess that's what I get for being stuck with a madman in my head. _You're going to help me, Maximum. Why do you think I created you to be the perfect human? To save the world?_ Well, that IS what you've been telling me to do… _No, Max, you have a much higher purpose. You're going to help me destroy Lisa. In doing so, you and I can put an end to this madness!_

"I'm not going to kill her! You must be crazy to think I would!"

_You'll come around in time. Trust me, Max. I created you. I know how you work. I know what makes you angry and what motivates you._ Suddenly I heard a scream behind me and the Gasman fell to the floor, writhing in pain. Fang and the others were about to jump and help him when they too fell over screaming in agony.

"Stop it! Roland, stop it now!"

_You know what you must do to save your disgusting flock_. He was right. I knew only one thing that would satisfy him.

"Okay! I get it, Roland just stop! I'll do what you want!"

After a few seconds, I knew Roland had turned off the Torture Box. The entire flock, besides me, lay on the floor panting and holding their heads in pain.

_This is why you're imperfect, Maximum._

"Just shut up!" I was sweating now, afraid of what would happen if I refused. I knew I couldn't make myself kill Dr. Martinez. But I was also curious if Roland was telling me the truth or not.

So with a sigh, I made what could possibly have been the biggest mistake of my life. "I'll help you."


	20. Chapter 20

**It's short, I know, but i'm running out of time before I have a ride coming. So R&R and enjoy!**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

20

Anne Walker knew this was the day. It was a perfect day, and nothing could go wrong at this point. Everything had gone wrong after the Eraser incident at the school in D.C., and it only got worse when Max and the flock escaped. But she would find them. _Today's the day._

A cool breeze swept her hair out of her face as she climbed the steps to the school and opened the large double doors. School was out now because of Christmas break, leaving her a perfect opportunity to come and go without notice. _Today's the day._

William Pruitt met Anne at the door and wordlessly led her down the long, dark halls of the school, taking the quickest route to the basement. When they reached the bottom of the basement stairs, the headmaster spoke. "Do you have the files?"

Anne nodded and flicked a switch that flooded light through the basement.

"You realize how much of a mess those brats caused?" Pruitt's face lit up like a fire, and Anne laughed a bit. "It's not funny! I had to spend too much of the School's money just to eliminate the ones who saw! Especially that Lazzara fellow. He was going to tell the cops, but I took care of him personally." Pruitt smiled a bit at the thought of the work he had done.

"Whatever," Anne said, completely ignoring the headmaster. "Let's just get this over with. It's freaking December and it's way to cold to be prowling around here without a heater."

Still red-in-the-face, Pruitt led Anne towards the back of the documents room and down the last tunnel. Where it led, only a few select people in the world knew. _Today's the day!_


	21. Chapter 21

**I know everyone's gonna try and kill me, but I have another short chapter for ya, lol Sorry, don't strangle me! Anyway, here's chapter 21, R&R and enjoy!**

**FYI: I just re-read the 1st and 2nd books of Max Ride and realized something, i've been spelling it "ter Bocht." Woops! lol Anyway i'll get that changed in the future, and to those who noticed, good job, cos i didn't! lol**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

21

It must have been a whole day later when Roland finally spoke to me again. He had yet to reveal himself to the rest of the flock, and we had slept most of the day in our cage anyway. When we were awake we just sat there, not even bothering to speak with each other. I had already explained to the flock long ago about Ella and her mom, and they understood enough of what I had been speaking with Roland about the day before to know the trouble I was having. It was too much to bear right now, so I slept the day away.

_Good morning, dear Maximum. Are you awake?_

I almost cursed out loud, but left it to myself instead. I wanted to say it to his face sometime soon.

_Some of my Erasers will be by your 'house' to escort you soon. You'll be meeting me in the dining room._

"Whatever, crazy." I grinned, thinking of how annoyed he must be with me at this point. Unfortunately he wasn't.

_I'm not the crazy one, Max. I've already told you, it's that sick wife of mine. Well, ex-wife_.

I still couldn't believe that Dr. Martinez was the "sick and twisted" wife he claimed she was. But something in me was still curious. I mean, it DID make a bit of sense if he wasn't lying. Dr. Martinez doesn't have a husband anymore, and Roland didn't have a wife anymore. But that was just one thing. Not even important. Right?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"He told us Max would be there, so we better hurry," Anne said to William Pruitt, knowing it would motivate him to move faster. "The train only goes so fast, and Roland wants us back at the School in twenty minutes."

"I know, I know!" Pruitt yelled, typing in a combination of buttons on the keypad of the train's console. "It's the ice of December, it's frozen the tracks up being this far underground. That's what Roland gets for trying to stay secretive."

"But he has arrangements with the president, right?" Anne knew the president himself approved Roland's secret tunnels under the States not too long ago. For a fee, of course.

"He does, but it'll only be so long before that idiot gives in and tells someone or falls out of office. We've got to be finished with everything before he gets replaced or we'll all be in jeopardy!" Pruitt flicked a few switches on the train's navigation system now. In a matter of seconds, he and Anne were flying under the United States at three hundred miles an hour. But they didn't feel a thing.

_Funny thing about flying fast_, thought Anne. _You always get where you need to go right on time. And if everything goes as it should, as Roland told us, " today's the day."_


	22. Chapter 22

**I'm sorry everyone. I know my chapter are short, but I'm just not into the whole "loooong" chapter thing, I can't sit at a computer for too long without getting bored lol So anyway, here's chapter 22, R&R and enjoy!**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

22

Five massive Erasers came about five minutes after Roland talked to me in my head. I didn't even resist, just let them take me away from the flock yet again. Everyone else was asleep, and I was afraid to leave them like this, but I also knew it'd be easier if no one was awake to try and fight. So off we went.

It took another five minutes of dreadful silence spent waiting in the "dining room" before Roland showed up. I guessed that it was a dining room by what Roland told me, and the fact that the room was set up like the one at Anne's house back in D.C. The same room where the flock and I had our first Thanksgiving meal. The same Thanksgiving meal where Anne actually asked to adopt us.

Roland entered the room via the door opposite of me. He examined everything with a sweep of his eyes, nodded to the Erasers that still lingered quietly behind me, and sat at the other end of the small table in the middle of the room. "Take a seat, Max," he said softly.

I looked at the chair, making sure there were no bombs or whoopee-cushions on it (a small thing I had learned to check, having lived with Iggy and the Gasman forever), then hesitantly sat down and stared at the madman. His eyes were blank and he looked at me with a slight smile spread across his pale face. "Would you like anything to drink, Max?"

"Go to hell," I said quietly, but just loud enough for him to hear. I smiled a bit and continued staring into his cold eyes.

"My, my, someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" Roland suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out what I was hoping he would; the small black torture box. Bingo. I began formulating in my head how to go about retrieving it from him. "Maybe you need a little shock to stay awake?" He was about to flick the switch labeled "26-A", but I stopped him.

"No, no, I'm awake. Just…" I sighed and tried to sound like I cared about what he wanted. "What do you want, Roland?"

"I'm glad you're coming around. I told you that we could work together." Roland started to put the box away…so I made my move.

In about a second, I pushed my chair back with my foot, hurled myself across the table, and plowed into Roland's chest headfirst, knocking the torture box out of his hand and onto the floor to my right. Roland fell backwards in his chair, but I vaulted off of him with my feet and grabbed the box off the floor. _Victory! _

Turns out I had forgotten about the Erasers blocking my only true escape. I pulled a one-eighty in mid-air as two of the enormous Erasers hurdled their full weight at me, only to fall face-forward over each other and smash into the table leg. _Note to self: Tell flock how to make Erasers look like complete idiots. _

I almost laughed, and then realized what I was doing. Torture box in hand, I unfurled my wings and bolted towards the door Roland had entered from only a moment ago. I was within inches of escaping when I felt icy fingers grip my wrist from behind. _Crap. _I turned just in time to come face-to-face with whoever was holding me back. _Double crap. _William Pruitt. The headhunter.


	23. Chapter 23

**GAH, once again my ability to create short and insignificant chapters blinds me from the true story I have going on here, but nonetheless, I shall continue on! R&R and enjoy!**

**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

23

"Gotcha, ya little rat!" the headhunter shouted, blowing saliva all over my face. Gross.

Without thinking, I brought my left leg around and slammed my knee into William Pruitt's hip, knocking him aside and surely snapping a bone or two. The headhunter tried to grab at my arm again, but I was too quick, shooting my wings down to push myself into the air. Now I was hovering steadily at about fifteen feet, just out of headhunter's reach. I looked around the room and saw everyone staring at me, including the five Erasers, Roland ter Borcht, the headhunter, and…Anne? I took another hard look and noticed that it was indeed Anne Walker, the same woman whom my flock and I stayed with for a few weeks back in D.C.

So many questions flooded my head, and I was about to ask them all at once, but then remembered the small box I held in my hand. The torture box. With all my strength and rage I flung the box to the ground, and watched satisfyingly as it smashed into a thousand pieces on the tile below.

Roland didn't even blink. In fact, a small grin spread across his face and he raised his hands to clap a few times. "Well done, Maximum. That's just what I would expect from something I created." He laughed a bit as the volcano inside my head began to near eruption.

Anne turned to Roland and glared at him. "You said you wouldn't tell her! Not yet, at least! This could ruin everything if she knows!"

Roland laughed a bit more and turned to me again. "Oh no, I don't think Max will be causing us anymore problems. Type 27 is alive."

Anne and the headhunter stared at Roland with horror in their eyes. "You can't be serious!" Anne said. "Roland…my brother…"

Okay, what? My mind was overflowing as I hovered above the crowd of crazies below me. Roland and Anne…could they really be siblings? Apparently I was also supposed to be afraid of some Type 27 as well. If I was Type 26, and Roland said I was _nearly_ perfect, was this Type 27 really perfect?

Anne crashed to the floor and began heaving and sobbing, holding her head in her hands. She looked up at Roland. "Brother, why? You said you'd never need to resort to that!"

Roland moved towards Anne and gently placed his hand on her head. "I'm sorry, sister. But times have changed. I don't need anybody anymore. I can take care of myself." With one swift move, Roland flipped his hand in a half-circle while clutching Anne's head, snapping her neck instantly. Her body crumpled to the floor, motionless.

I was stunned, as was the headhunter, who screamed in a rage at Roland. "What are you doing? This is insanity! You can't possibly hope to do everything without us!" Roland apparently thought otherwise, pulling the handgun from his pocket; the handgun he had used to kill Jeb Batchelder, his clone, the day before.

"Oh William, you never fail to amuse me," Roland said as he pulled the trigger, firing a bullet into the headhunter's stomach. "You always thought I was the weakest of the family just because I was the youngest." The madman fired another bullet into the headhunter's stomach, who was about to fall, blood trailing down from the wounds. "But I'll surpass you and sister. I'll be better than either of you ever hoped to be!" Another bullet was fired into the headhunter's stomach, and then he crashed to the floor with a loud _thunk. _

I sat in mid-air (if that was possible) for a few seconds, completely silent and mortified by what I had seen. My mind was still trying to process the scene when Roland looked to me again. "I told them when we were little that I was gonna be better. I was gonna be strongest. Well now I am! I am Type 27!"

Silently I watched as Roland leapt into the air, unfurling four coal black wings that carried him to my level with apparent ease. Okay, on a scale of one to ten, Roland was now an eleven in the "crazy-and-dangerous" category. Things were about to get a little more difficult.


	24. Chapter 24

**I know I haven't posted as often lately, and I apologize. I've been extremely busy with getting stuff ready for school, which reminds me... When i start school back up in a week, updating will be even harder to get done with my schedule, so just hang tight! I'll do the best I can, and I won't just go and quit on you, so don't worry. ANYWAY, enough rambling, lol Chapter 24, R&R and enjoy!**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

24

I didn't have time to think. In a flash, Roland was in front of me, and his hand had curled into a fist. As he swung for my face, I caught his hand, only to have him punch me in the stomach with his other hand. Breath blasted from my mouth and I thought I coughed up some blood.

Now Roland brought his right arm above me and smashed his elbow into my back, slamming me onto the floor below, inches away from the headhunter's body. I pathetically tried to crawl to my knees, but Roland was on top of me with his foot pressing down on my back, right where he had elbowed me.

"How does it feel to be the one on the bottom?" Roland laughed and leaned closer to me, pressing his foot down harder, sending waves of pain through my spine. "I told you I would create the perfect human. And I did." The madman grabbed my hair and yanked upwards, pulling my face off the floor. Blood was already drying from my nose and lip, which had split when I hit the floor. "Now I'll kill you and your pathetic flock, and then I'll be the only Type left!" Roland laughed maniacally and I thought of only one thing to say at that moment.

"Go to hell!" Pardon the language. As I said, it was the only thing on my mind.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fang sensed something was wrong. He didn't know if this was a power or not, but he knew something was wrong. One, because Max was gone, and two, because he could've sworn he heard gunshots a moment ago.

Iggy was the only other member of the flock awake right now, and Fang crawled over and sat down next to him. "We've gotta get out of here," Fang whispered, trying to keep from waking the younger kids.

"Did you hear the gun?" Iggy asked quietly, motioning towards where the sound had come from.

"Yeah, I heard it. We need to get to Max. I'm not sure, but I have this feeling something's wrong, and not just with Max. Something big is happening, and it could put us all in danger." Fang didn't quite know where that all came from, but he kept getting thoughts in his head that told him he had little time to spare. _First to get out of this cage._

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Roland was holding his gun to my head, and I could hear his breathing becoming shorter and his voice becoming more crazed. He was losing it, which meant he could kill me, right here, right now.

"You don't understand the grand scheme of things, dear Maximum," said Roland quietly, stroking my hair with his free hand. I could feel the sweat and grease coming off of his fingers and almost threw up. "Once you're dead, you'll have nothing left to worry about. You won't need to worry about the flock, or saving the world. Don't you see? Death is a permanent escape from everything!" Roland released the safety on the gun.

My heart began beating faster, and I tried moving away from Roland. But it was no use; the madman had me pinned down with his foot. Apparently, being a _perfect _human gave him just a tad more strength than me. I tried one last thing. "Roland, why are you doing this? This is crazy! Just stop now!"

Roland was silent as he pressed the gun harder into my temples. And precisely one minute later, the gun fired, sending a streak of blood onto the tiles of the dining room.


	25. Chapter 25

**GAH another shortish chapter, sorry! And I also apologize that my writing is getting sloppy, it's the end of summer and I'm tired and can't wait to get back to school (cos i'm finally not a freshman! lol) but ANYHOO, here's chapter 25, thnx for bearing with me this long, R&R and enjoy!**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

25

Fang snapped his wings open, sending a blast of air towards Roland that nearly knocked him off balance. The gun he had been holding to Max's temple was now aimed at Fang's chest.

Roland stared at Fang, sweat streaming down his face, which was now beet-red with fury. "How the hell did you escape?" The gun in Roland's hand was trembling now, and Fang knew better than to tick off a madman with a gun.

Fang simply smiled and said, "Your Erasers aren't as smart as they look. They left the cage unlocked." Well, unfortunately that was enough to tick off any madman.

The gun went off just as Fang leapt into the air, and the bullet was sent through his right leg, just above the knee. Blood gushed from the wound, but Fang didn't think anything of it. He was more concerned with rescuing Max. "Iggy, now!" Fang shouted, not even turning to watch as the blind boy flew in from behind him, crashing into Roland's left side. Before Roland could hit the floor, Fang had soared in and grab his two left wings, but was caught in the stomach by the older man's fist.

Roland whirled around and used his strong wing muscles to send Fang crashing into the wall behind him, shattering a large mirror. Iggy was about to attack again, but Roland kicked him hard in the knees, breaking his left leg and dropping him to the floor, yelling in pain.

"See what happens?" the madman shouted, aiming his gun at Max again, who was slowly peeling herself away from the floor. "Don't even try it! Your flock will be dead soon, Maximum, and then you'll thank me for killing you and ending this!"

Max sputtered and coughed up a bit of blood, then turned her head to glare at Roland. "You forgot one thing, Roland." Max laughed a bit. "You can't kill us. We're invincible!"

Now it was Roland who was laughing. "So if I were to pull the trigger," he aimed the gun at Fang's motionless body that lay among a pile of broken glass, "he wouldn't die? Is that what you really think?"

Max nodded weakly and smiled. "Go ahead and try, sicko."

Roland silently walked towards Fang and held the gun to his head. "Then say goodbye to your dearest friend, Max. I told you not to mess with me." Roland pulled the trigger.


	26. Chapter 26

**Holy crap, I CAN make a decent-sized chapter! le gasp lol Anyway, here's chapter 26, R&R and enjoy!**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

26

But nothing happened. There was a click from Roland's gun, and then silence. I took the opportunity to spring forward using my arms and knocked Roland to the ground. I was clutching his legs together as he writhed and tried to break free of my grasp.

"Maximum, you don't know what you're doing, stop this right now!" Roland screamed, pulling something out of his jacket's left pocket; a combat knife. A long, sharp, razor-edged combat knife that gleamed as the light of the dining room reflected off of it. I looked into the killer's eyes and noticed he had completely gone insane at this point (not that I thought he was truly "sane" before now). His eyes were black holes that burned with intense fires of hatred, and I could see he wanted to plunge that knife into me and kill me with it.

I let go and rolled backwards, just as Roland slammed the knife right where my head had been a moment before. There was a scraping sound as the blade struck the tile floor, leaving a spray of sparks in its wake. Okay, now I knew for certain I didn't want to get hit by a weapon that sharp.

"You say I can't kill you, but I'll show you, I'll kill all of you! I created you, Maximum, and I can destroy you!" Roland's voice was getting closer, and acting on impulse, I flung myself back the way I had come…right under Roland's legs. Without putting much thought into it, I grabbed his free hand from below and pulled him to the ground, so his face slammed into the toe of my sneakers. Ouch.

"Max, say something!" It was Iggy. "I can't find you!"

"Over here!" I shouted, and immediately Iggy was dashing forward until he was right next to me. He leaned over, lightly skimmed his fingers over my face to make sure it was I, and then waited for instructions. "You said the cage was left open?" I asked quietly. Luckily, the blow from my shoe-tip had apparently rendered Roland immobile for the moment, so we could devise what to do. Iggy nodded. "Good. Go wake up Nudge and Angel, and then get back here on the double. I'll grab Fang and we can get out of here."

"But how?" Iggy was already heading for the door, using his amazing memory to plan which way it was to the cage.

"Just trust me!" I shouted back, and then quickly scurried out from underneath Roland's body, which had yet to move since his fall. I stared at him for only a moment, and then took the knife from his hand as carefully as I could and placed it cautiously in my jeans pocket. Just in case.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In just a few short minutes, the flock and I were off, running through the halls of the vast School, which we had known as our "home" for the last twenty-four hours. With Fang's unconscious body arched across my shoulders I finally found what I was looking for; a window. It was just outside the dining room. I had remembered seeing it, a window in a huge sunroom off the main hall of the School, when I was being taken to see Roland just a little while ago. So much had happened in that short time.

But no time to think about that now. I knew that the moment Roland woke up he would call every Eraser he had in his arsenal to attack us, and then we'd be royally screwed. Unless, of course, we were somewhere safe.

After a moment of hesitation from Nudge, who didn't enjoy the idea of smashing through a glass window, we took off. I was the first to go, quickly unfolding my wings so they opened up behind Fang, and then crashing my head against the glass. Surprisingly it shattered easily, and as the flock gathered with me outside, hovering in mid-air, I noticed the School was amazingly quiet. It was the middle of the day, and the sky was clear, opening a path for the sun to warm my feathers. Ah, it felt great. And there were no Erasers. Aside from the fact that there was a madman bent on world destruction chasing us, it felt like a normal day.

"It's cold out here," said Iggy. I had almost forgotten that it was the end of December, and winter was rearing its head over Colorado again. But I didn't mind. Being locked up in the School made the sun's rays feel spectacular, and the snow on the ground did nothing to change that feeling for me.

Total popped his head out of Fang's backpack, which Angel was now carrying, along with Celeste. "Is it winter? We should celebrate Christmas!"

I grinned at the tiny black dog. How he knew about Christmas I didn't care to ask, but I knew I would have to say something soon or Angel would begin plotting a party with the dog soon. "Maybe we can. But I have something else important to do right now."

"What is it?" asked Iggy.

"I…I want to go back to Ella's house." I waited a moment for a response, but the flock, even Iggy, just stared at me in confusion. "Roland told me some things about Ella's mom that I don't want to believe…but I need to be sure."

Angel glided silently towards me and hugged me around the waist. "We'll go with you."

I patted the small girl's head. "Thank you, sweetie."

When I was finished telling the flock of my plan, we headed out. We would stop at the hawk's cave again, the same one Fang and Nudge had stayed at so long ago when they waited for me to return, and then tomorrow we would fly to Ella's house. It was the best idea I'd had in a long time.

As we flew, Iggy moved towards me, brushing his wingtips against mine to follow. He silently came closer until he was right next to me. I was about to ask what he needed, but he broke the awkward silence. "So, how did you know the gun was out of bullets? Back at the School?"

I grinned, even though I knew he couldn't see it. "I didn't." We both laughed a bit. "Good guess, huh?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**End of Part 3 (and yes I know i'm making the parts really really short, i'm not good at this, lol)**


	27. Chapter 27

**So Cody said part 4 shall begin, and it was so, and it was good. lol Eh, not too exciting of a chapter, but school's starting in 2 days (thank GOD) and my brain's starting to kick in again, so maybe I'll finally get better? Who knows. ANYWAY, chapter 27, R&R and enjoy!**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Part 4 – Hide and Seek**

27

Ella Martinez woke up and glanced at her bedside clock. Six o'clock. It was too early, but she decided to get out of bed anyway, knowing her mom would be preparing breakfast. If anything, she could fry an egg or something.

The young girl flung her legs over the side of the bed and leapt up, took a moment to yawn and stretch, and then wandered to her closet. Inside, she found the clothes she would wear for the day, and put them on after shedding her pajamas. She examined herself in a mirror next to her bed and took a few minutes to curl her hair as she had been doing for a few weeks now. It looked just like Max's hair had looked on the day she left Ella.

"Mom, what's for breakfast?" Ella called out, making her way down the hall out of her room and into the kitchen. "Mom?" When she got there, the kitchen was empty. "Mom!" Ella shouted, a little louder this time. She was beginning to get worried. If her mom wasn't awake by now, that could mean she was sick.

Ella ran down the opposite hall to her mom's room and flung the door open. "Mom, are you sick?" But this room was also empty. Ella searched every corner of the room, checking the closets and under the bed, but gave up and ran back down the hall. "Mom! Mom, where are you?"

The entire house was silent except for Ella's shouts. A cold December wind chilled the house as it blew in through the open door that Ella found a moment later. The back door was left open, which gave Ella's heart a jump at first, but then she thought of something. _Of course! Mom said she'd have work to do outside in the morning! _

Ella began to calm down as she threw her boots on and ran outside. "Mom, I'm awake!" she called. No response. "Mom!" She kept shouting as she circled the house, trudging through the light snow that had collected in the woods over the last week. Now she was becoming scared again as she stepped back into the house. She made sure to close the door behind her.

"Mom!" Ella choked down a sob as she ran to the stairwell that would take her into the cellar. But even the cellar was empty, save a few shelves of canned food and cobwebs. As she backed towards the stairs she noticed something she hadn't seen before. In one corner of the room, next to a shelf of canned beets, laid a small ornamental rug. The rug was angled just enough for Ella to see a hinge underneath it. She crept quietly towards the rug and pulled it aside, revealing a small trapdoor that had been opened recently.

Ella was about to reach for the handle of the door when a sound upstairs made her jump. It sounded like heavy footsteps. Scared out of her mind at this point, she grabbed the cordless phone on the wall of the cellar and snuck back up the stairs.

"Is she here?" Ella heard a man's voice ask.

There were a few more voices. "No, I haven't seen her. Or her daughter."

"The girl's not in her room?"

"I just checked and she's not in there."

"Well she could be somewhere else in the house! Check again!"

The voices, all male, murmured a bit, and then footsteps filled the rooms above Ella. Quietly she crept down and released the latch on the trapdoor, opening another stairwell that went even deeper into the cellar. The stairs had fresh footprints in the dust; making it even more obvious they had recently been used.

Ella couldn't see far beyond the first few steps, for there were no lights in the small tunnel, so she had no idea as to how far it went. Summoning up all her courage, the young girl made her way into the tunnel until she was surrounded by the darkness. Continuing downwards, she quickly turned the phone on and dialed 9-1-1.


	28. Chapter 28

**WHEW! This chapter's a doozy (by MY standards) and has almost left me with carpal tunnel as it took me an hour to write, lol. Eh, it isn't the most exciting chapter, but I was inspired by the song "The Ocean" by Mae (great song!) to write it. Anyway, a quick thanx to all of you for getting me to 100 reviews, you all rock! I'm not just saying that either, without you guys or your encouragement I doubt I would've made it to chapter 2, seriously! lol So as a reward, here's chapter 28! R&R and enjoy!**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

28

I sat in the darkness of the hawk's abandoned cave, waiting for my body to allow me to sleep. I was so worn out from everything that had happened over the last twenty-four hours that I thought it would be easy to doze off in the quiet of the small cave. But it wasn't. My mind was filled to the brim, and it was keeping me awake. So I made a quick decision.

Quietly I crept to the edge of the cage and peeked out to make sure it was clear. I didn't know what to expect really, or even what I was looking for, but I had learned in my life to never take chances. Slowly I let my wings unfurl and felt a cool breeze drift through my feathers. It felt so perfect, so calming, and so peaceful. I didn't want it to stop, but it did after a few minutes, and I let out a small sigh.

A second later, I stood at the edge of the cave, wings at their full span, and let myself freefall towards the ground below. It was such a rush, feeling the air ripple through my feathers, and I knew it was just a taste of what I was going to experience in another second. About twenty feet from the ground I let my wings carry me up a bit, taking my whole body in a pattern that swooped upwards.

Then I really took off. It only took a moment of thoughtless flying and I was traveling at what must have been three hundred miles an hour. And it was fantastic! I soared higher and higher until I was just below the cold December clouds that had thickened the sky during the course of the afternoon. They felt wet against my skin and wings, and I shivered a bit, then glided back down a bit. Now I was about a hundred feet above the treetops, completely clueless of where I was. All I knew was that I was flying west. My senses told me that much.

I watched as forests and mountains passed below me, the beauty of Colorado. Then I passed right through a cloud that had gone a little too low. It was icy cold and made my teeth chatter, but it wasn't a big cloud, and soon I was back out in the open calm of night, watching the world soar beneath me at twice the speed of a professional racer.

It must have been about an hour later when I saw something not too far away on the horizon, something big and blue. The ocean. I smiled as I remembered how the flock and I had traveled to the ocean on the other side of the continent not too long ago, how we had basked in its warm waters and played with the sharks when we found out Angel could breathe underwater. It was so much fun remembering this that I decided to go back.

Gently I let myself slow to a stop until I was just a mile away from the ocean. I could already smell the water emanating from its rippled surface as the wind brushed against it. I skimmed along a few more treetops, surprised to see no houses or towns in the vicinity, and then dropped to the edge of the water below me.

The shore's cool sand formed softly around my shoes, and I removed them to let my bare feet touch the surface. My toes sunk in between the small grains, relieving me of the pain in my legs that had followed me all day. I let my wings drop to the ground and felt the sand brush against my feathers, washing away their own pains. This was definitely going to be remembered as the most perfect moment of my evening.

I walked slowly along the beach, feeling the cool breezes wafting through my hair. There was a spot about a half mile down the beach where I decided to rest, sitting on the soft sand with my legs straight out in front of me. The ocean water lapped up against the soles of my feet, and I was surprised to find that it was almost warm. Not warm, mind you, but _almost _warm.

I must have been sitting there for a full ten minutes when I started feeling drowsy. I wanted to just fall over and go to sleep right then and there, but I knew the flock would awaken the next morning and panic with me being gone. So with a feeling of longing to stay there, I pulled my wings off the ground and shot upwards into the night sky.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took me at least another hour before I was in sight of the cave. My mind told me to go back and try to sleep, but my wings thought otherwise. I circled the small forest beneath the cave for a few minutes, trying to find a spot to land. Then I found it. Nestled in the center of the forest was a small pine tree that hadn't yet been covered in snow.

Gently I lowered myself down through the treebranches until I was hovering just above the ground. I noticed surprisingly that the ground didn't seem to have been touched by the snow, and then figured it was because the trees above were so thick, they stole it all. Darn trees.

I landed next to the beautiful tree and leaned back against its cool bark. Next thing I knew, I had flopped onto the ground with my back still against the tree. Everything was rushing back to me. Every painful memory I ever had, every sad memory, every heart-rending, soul-crushing memory I had. All of it was crashing in on my mind, and I felt warm, salty tears streaming down my cheeks. For a second I wished it would rain so I could feel warmth against my skin.

Whether by some new power I was discovering or by strange coincidence in the middle of December, it started raining. A low, deep rumble of thunder traveled through the clouds as a light wash of warm rain silkily journeyed through the treebranches, battering its tiny droplets against my skin.

It felt so refreshing, and the rain mixed with my tears, creating a waterfall that erupted from my eyes. I wasn't even making a sound, not like when I normally cried. I just sat there thinking about everything as tears and rain rolled down my face. I made another hopeless wish that someone were there with me. Someone that could help me, someone that would be a sign, someone that would…

"What are the chances of rain at a time like this?" A voice called from above me. I lifted my face from where it was buried in my jean legs to see Fang hovering down next to me. _Well I didn't rub a magic lamp. Do I still get a third wish? _I almost laughed a bit at the thought as Fang sat down next to me with his legs stretched out.

"What are you doing up at a time like this?" I asked softly, a tiny hint of a smile spreading across my face.

Fang leaned back against the tree and sighed. "I could ask you the same thing." He looked at me and we both laughed.

"I'm glad you're okay."

"So am I." Fang smiled and turned his head back to look up into the sky, the rain gently drumming against his face. "What happened back there?"

I thought about telling him, I really did, but I was just too worn out to talk much tonight. "Oh nothing important. I'll tell you in the morning." And that was that apparently. Fang glanced at me again, then turned his head up and closed his eyes.

We sat in total silence for a few moments, and then Fang spoke. "You were crying before the rain started." I looked at him, trying to pretend like he was crazy. But we both knew the truth. "What's wrong?"

My mind was filling with the bad memories again, and I stifled a few weak sobs in the back of my throat. "Nothing. Really, it's nothing."

But that wouldn't cut it. Fang reached out and put his arm gently across my shoulders, and I let him pull me closer. His jacket felt so warm against my face, and immediately I lost it. I was sobbing and crying uncontrollably into his chest, and all the while he endured it, quietly patting my back and leaning his head against mine. I felt so pathetic, sitting her bawling like a baby as Fang merely watched. It was almost embarrassing, but then Fang whispered into my ear, "it's okay. I don't mind."

It took a few more minutes before I had regained control and was back to just a few heaving breaths. I still had my face buried into Fang's jacket, and he was rubbing his hand against my shoulder. I looked up at him and noticed his eyes were half-closed and staring right at me.

"I'm sorry, Fang," I said quietly, still fighting back a few sobs here and there. "I'm so sorry…I just…"

Fang brought his other arm around and put his forefinger softly against my lips. "It's okay. Sometimes it's okay to cry with somebody by your side." I almost lost it again. I had read Fang's blog before, but this was unbelievable. I had never heard him saying anything like this in front of me. It was like a dream, and I thought of pinching myself just to make sure. "I should've learned that a long time ago. But I've been hiding too long."

"Fang…" I said. I brought my arm around his shoulders so we were locked in a warm embrace. "Fang," I said again, "I want to tell you something." This was insane. I couldn't believe I was actually saying anything. We could've just sat there and fallen asleep peacefully, but _noooo_, _I_ went and broke the silence. Well, it was too late at that point. "I just…I want you to know…I…"

But something happened. Fang whispered, "I know," and leaned forward. His face came closer to mine until we were a mere inch apart, then he kissed me. His lips met mine and instantly my mind was spiraling. It was like everything I had always seen in movies, but nothing like I had ever truly felt. So I let it last. I brought my hand up to cradle his head, and he did the same to me.

Okay, scratch that thought a ways back. _This _was definitely going to be remembered as the most perfect moment of my evening.


	29. Chapter 29

**Eh, it's another un-eventful chapter, sorry everyone, lol We'll get back to the action starting next chapter most likely. However...there is that little bit of bad news/good news. Good news: School starts tomorrow (no longer a freshman! HUZZAH! lol) Bad news: that means I won't be able to post as much with all the stuff I'm involved in. :( I'll keep trying to post but don't be expecting something every day like I have been doing. Just keep reviewing and it'll make me feel like writing, lol Anyway, here's chapter 29, R&R and enjoy!**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

29

Fang and I fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms. The rain had stopped a few minutes after we kissed, so it was silent in the small forest for a long time. When I finally did awaken, it felt like days or weeks had passed, but judging by the lack of sunlight, I guessed it was still early morning. My eyes were tired from the crying I had done the night before, and it took me a moment to fully wake up and get my mind working.

I slowly leaned my head up from where it was resting on Fang's shoulder and saw that he was just waking up as well. He shook his head a bit and looked at me, smiling. I smiled back and suddenly realized how awkward it was. But I didn't care. Being with Fang last night seemed to have made all my worries and bad memories disappear into nothingness. And I loved that feeling.

"We should probably head back before they wake up," Fang whispered. "The sun's gonna be coming up soon, and we still have no breakfast."

I looked at Fang and we both laughed. After a minute or two, Fang stood up and helped me up as well, and then we both stretched a bit. "How can you stand up with a bullet in your leg?" I asked, amazed at Fang's strength. He shrugged. "I guess I'm the Invincible Fang now?" We both laughed again and then leaped up and out of the trees. We hovered a bit, deciding what to do, and then Fang spoke. "Maybe we should just wake everyone up and go somewhere for breakfast."

Duh. The thought hadn't even occurred to me that Ella would have food at her house. That was, as long as she didn't mind having SIX mutant bird kids at her house instead of just one. I motioned towards the cave and followed Fang back, quietly entering while trying not to disturb the flock. Fang and I found a small spot at the back of the cave away from the flock where we sat down. As I related the story of everything that had happened, Fang merely looked at me and nodded, every now and then glancing over at the flock to see if anyone was awake. When I told him about going back to Ella's house, I was surprised to hear him say, "That's a good idea." I smiled and moved closer to him, and he followed up and put his arm around my shoulders.

"There's so much I don't understand," I said quietly after we had been sitting in silence for a while. "Like, is Ella's mom really the one behind everything that's been going on? If she is…I just…I don't know what I'll do. She was like a mother to me." I felt a knot tighten in my stomach again and I fought back tears as another thought came to me.

"It's okay, my jacket's wet enough from the rain," Fang whispered, seeing the pain in my eyes. I wanted to laugh but was too overwhelmed to do it, so instead I buried my face into Fang's shoulder again and cried quietly, letting another wave of tears pour out. I didn't feel nearly as embarrassed this time around, and I let it all out for a moment that seemed to last forever. When I was finally done I put my head back on Fang's shoulders. Softly he wiped away my tears with his hand and rested it on my shoulder.

"There was something else. Something Roland said." My voice was still shaky as I continued. "He said…he said that I was born at Itex, and that I was transferred to the School when I was about a year old. Fang…do you think it's true?"

Fang closed his eyes and sat in silence for a moment, then opened them again and stared directly at me. His eyes had more emotion behind them than I had ever seen as he spoke. "Well, I can't say I know whether it's true or not. But what I do know is that I don't care. I don't care where you were born, or where you were taken, or anything like that. I only care that we have you here with us right now. I only care that you're still holding strong after everything we've been through." He paused a moment, as if trying to find the right words to continue. "And I only care that I love you, and there's nothing that can change that."

Well, what should've been the most romantic moment of my life at that point soon became a mess as Angel shot straight up from her sleeping place and shouted, "I knew you were in love!" We laughed so hard it seemed to shake the cave and wake up the rest of the flock.


	30. Chapter 30

**Yay for school starting today! Everyone applaud me for no longer being a freshman in high school, but now a sophomore! lol Anyway, as previously stated multiple times, updates will be little to none per week starting today, but i did manage to spew out this chapter. So i present chapter 30, where we get back to action, R&R and enjoy!**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

30

Ella stumbled through the darkness, trying as hard as she could to find a light switch, a lantern, anything! But there was nothing in this endless hallway, so tears streamed down her face as she continued on, not daring to look back in case the men that had come into her house were following her. _Mommy, where are you? _She kept saying over and over in her mind that her mommy was safe, but in the pit of her stomach she knew something was horribly wrong.

After a minute or two, Ella stumbled on something in the dark and tripped forward, barely catching herself with her hands. It felt cold, and she immediately knew she was on a stone floor instead of a wooden one. She groped around for a moment and finally found the wall again…and a light switch. Taking a moment to recover and stand back up, Ella flicked the switch, and immediately a wave of white light flooded the hall.

"Mommy! Mommy, are you down here?" Ella whispered as loud as she could. She didn't want to be found by the men in the house, but she hoped her mom was down here and could make her feel better. "Mommy?" Ella turned from the hall to see that she was standing at the entrance to a massive laboratory. Above her arched a high ceiling of stonework and shelves upon shelves of test tubes, beakers, and cages. "Mommy?"

Then she saw something. Over in one corner of the room was a figure slumped over a desk. Shadow hid the figure, completely obscuring their back, except for the white coat they wore. "Mommy?" Ella whispered, inching her way slowly towards the figure.

Suddenly she heard a short gasp as the figure's head flipped upwards. There was a stifle of a sob as the figure said, "Yes…dear?"

"Is that you, mommy?" Ella came closer to the figure until she was just a few feet away. On the desk, she saw a bunch of papers and documents scattered around. And on one of the papers she saw a black and white photo of a girl with wings. She gasped. "Mommy? Is that…Max?"

The figure started sobbing and turned around, bringing its face into the light. Dr. Martinez cradled her head in her hands as she whispered, "I'm so sorry Ella."

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

I flew ahead of the flock a ways so I could make sure we were going the right way. I recognized a chasm I remembered falling into after being shot a few months ago, and immediately knew we were on the right path. What a nice landmark.

"How much farther do you think it is?" Fang asked, flying in close to me.

"Yes, I'm starving, and breakfast was disgusting!" hollered Total from where he was nestled in Fang's backpack. We all laughed. Breakfast hadn't been much, just a few granola bars we found in the pockets of Fang's bag, but to Total it must have been nasty. I'm sure he would have preferred a dead rat or something.

"Probably just a few more minutes," I said in response to Fang's question after the laughing had stopped. "Wanna go back and inform the rest of the flock? Tell them it might be easier if you guys hovered above the house for a while. I'll go make sure Ella's okay with all of us being there, then I'll come get you." Fang nodded and flew back to join the flock.

Everything was going perfect. The wind whipped through my hair and feathers, and for a moment I completely forgot what we were going to Ella's house for, blinded by the sheer beauty around me. _Gotta stay on mission_, I told myself. We were here on serious business, and although I loved the thought of seeing Ella again, I knew this visit could answer a lot of things that had been left unanswered.

But as we got closer and I finally caught sight of Ella's house, I realized everything was going wrong just like that. I stopped for a moment then circled back and motioned for Fang to come to me. When he was closer I whispered into his ear, "Can you come with me? Something's wrong. We'll tell the others to hang out in the trees below." Fang nodded and we went back to the flock. "Guys, can you stick around in those trees down there?" I pointed to a patch of forest that rested on a hill directly underneath where we were. They all nodded and Fang handed his backpack to Angel, and then they shot straight downward, Gazzy helping Iggy find his way. When they were out of sight, I motioned to Fang again and we glided towards Ella's house.

"So what's wrong?" he asked. I pointed towards the small cottage as we drew closer, and it became clear exactly what was wrong. Three police cars were overturned around the house, all emitting flames and black smoke, and another was cracked in half against a tree close by. Policemen were scattered among the ground, one even on the roof, and whether they were dead or not wasn't really a question, especially when we spotted six massive Erasers lumbering out the front door.


	31. Chapter 31

**Hooray for chapter 31. Not much else to say, so R&R and enjoy!**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

31

I looked at Fang, who was staring wide-eyed at the Erasers that walked out of Ella's house single-file. "Are you sure this is the right place?" he asked quietly, since we were only about a hundred feet from the monsters now.

I nodded and swallowed hard. "I'm afraid so." I retrieved the knife I had stolen from Roland and handed it to Fang. "You're better at this than I am. Wanna take 'em down?"

Fang stared at the knife I had given to him, and I saw something burning in his eyes, anger and hatred. He was ready to kill them for me; he knew how much I wanted to see Ella safe and sound. "Fang? Are you okay?" I asked, reaching for his shoulder. He moved closer to me and nodded, and then lunged headfirst towards the ground, holding the knife at his chest, ready to strike. _Thanks, Fang_, I said to myself, then followed him downward as the Erasers met us in mid-air.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are they alright?" asked Nudge, squeezing her way in between the Gasman and Angel, who were at the front of the small clearing they had found in the trees.

"Shh!" whispered Gazzy. "I'm trying to focus!"

Nudge retreated back into the trees a bit and let Iggy touch the back of her hand. "Follow me," she said quietly, hoping Gazzy wouldn't hear.

"Nudge? What're you…"

"I just wanna get a better look."

"Well that won't much help me now, will it?" Iggy laughed a bit, but Nudge simply stomped back to where Gazzy and Angel were, feeling unappreciated for trying to help.

Angel turned to her. "Don't think like that, we appreciate you," she said, smiling. Nudge smiled back but couldn't help thinking otherwise.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fang whirled around from where the leading Eraser had kicked him in the chest, effectively slashing the behemoth's arm, sending a spiraling trail of blood to the ground. The Eraser howled in pain, and Fang gave him an uppercut to the jaw. That shut him up quickly.

With one Eraser unconscious, that left only two for Fang and I to deal with. But instead of flying at us separately, both Erasers charged me head-on. _Son of a gun. _Fang swerved in and knocked one of the Erasers off-course using his shoulder as a battering ram, and I nailed the other one with a kick to the groin. Apparently it was male, for its wings suddenly stopped working as it howled in pain, grasping between its legs. I decided to put it out of its misery and hammered it on the head with my fists clenches, sending it plummeting to the ground rather quickly.

When I turned around, Fang had already managed to bring his Eraser down as well, leaving a triangle of unconscious wolf-men on the driveway in front of Ella's house. "That was too easy," I said, almost laughing. Fang nodded and smiled. "Should we get everyone else?"

Fang looked back at where the flock had landed, meeting Gazzy's eyes. Gazzy pointed at the house, and Fang motioned for them to come to us. I saw Nudge grab Iggy's hand and explain the situation into his ear as the four of them flew to our position. "Guys," I said once we were all assembled just a few yards away from the front door of Ella Martinez's house, "I don't know what we'll see in here. I just know that if what Roland says is true, this could get extremely dangerous. And also…" I hesitated a moment, trying to find the right words. "Also, if you want to stay out here, even in the slightest bit, please do. This is a personal mission of mine, and I think the only thing I'll find out in here is about my own past, if anything." I stopped, and a strange silence hung in the air. I got off my metaphorical soapbox and prayed that someone would say something soon, or else I thought I'd explode.

Fang walked up and put his arm around my shoulders, sending instant peace and warmth through my body. "You think we'd really let you do this alone? You must be going crazy." We all laughed for a moment, and then, realizing the importance of how little time we probably had, stepped up to Ella's front door and lightly pushed it open. I'll never forget what I saw inside.


	32. Chapter 32

**Yeehaw, we're gettin tense in chapter 32! R&R and enjoy! **

**P.S. To those of you who have said this book is getting long, I'm afraid to say I'm not anywhere close to done as of now. In fact, I plan on this book being as long as my other novels (original) that I've written, all of which are around 200 pages on Microsoft Word. Soooo I'll give a few options, and you can give me your thoughts. a) I'll end the book short, and make up a quicker ending in a few chapters. (pleeeease don't make me do this!) b) I'll continue on my merry way with the book and finish when I feel like it. or c) I'll continue the book in a "book 2" type thing, which I'd rather not do, but it really doesn't matter to me. Anyway, take a vote, and I'll be back with the next chapter soon!**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

32

Ella was tied to a chair in the center of the house's living room. Duct tape had been used to tie her legs and arms to a small wooden chair, and a strip of fabric had been stretched across her mouth. She wasn't moving and her eyes were closed. I prayed she was only sleeping.

"Max, I can't believe you're back!" Dr. Martinez called, running down the center hall of the house. "Please help me get Ella!" The doctor had a scratch mark on the side of her face, and blood stained the front of her white lab coat.

"What happened here?" I asked, moving slowly towards Ella. I was suspicious as to why the Erasers would tie up Ella and leave, without even bothering Dr. Martinez. But I figured I would question the doctor first, see what she knew, and judge everything from there.

"I'm not sure exactly. I was asleep in the cellar, and suddenly a pack of Erasers just flew in and attacked! They tied Ella to the chair and sedated her, but I was able to call the police before that. As you saw though, even the police weren't a match for them." Dr. Martinez was near tears at this point. "I'm just so glad you came back to us. Now please, help me get Ella." The doctor was standing right behind Ella now, pulling the fabric out of the girl's mouth.

What was Roland talking about? He apparently must have lost his mind more than I thought when he told me Dr. Martinez was the one to blame for all this. I laughed in my mind and moved towards Ella. I was a few feet away before something clicked in my mind.

"Dr. Martinez," I said quietly, backing off just a bit, "how…how exactly did you know what Erasers were?" I bit my bottom lip, hoping I was wrong, hoping Roland was wrong, hoping my suspicions were wrong.

"Well…you told me about them, don't you remember?"

I shook my head and stepped back more, unfurling my wings, ready for action at any moment. "I don't recall saying anything about Erasers to you."

Silence filled the air, as did an ominous tension that threatened to explode in my head as I waited. The flock was behind me, also opening their own wings. Dr. Martinez suddenly dropped her head, and immediately she stopped crying. Fake crying, I mean. Actually, she began laughing as she reached into her right coat pocket and pulled out a small pocketknife. "Max, Max. I knew you would catch on sooner or later. I guess Roland ended up being a better experiment than I thought."

"What are you saying?" I shouted, my face turning red with fury. "He was your husband! How could you do such a thing?" My stomach churned as I thought of how much I had hated Roland, how much I now understood his anger.

"He was hardly human, even after I married him! He was the perfect subject for my tests, and that's all he ever was!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, and my heart felt like it was going to burst from my chest. This woman, whom I had loved like a mother, was now showing her true colors. It was crazy, and I wished I would suddenly wake up from this horrible nightmare. But I knew it was a reality. "Why?" I finally choked out, after another dreadful silence. "Why are you doing this? All of this?"

Dr. Martinez laughed again. "Because I can. Because I have the power and brains to do so. I will save this world by creating perfect beings. I will be God!"


	33. Chapter 33

**Well, I'm gonna just continue with this story, and it could very well become around 70 chapters long, who knows! lol Anyway, here's chapter 33, R&R and enjoy!**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

33

Dr. Martinez flicked her pocketknife open and brought the blade to Ella's throat. "If you move, I'll kill her," the doctor said, menace filling her voice.

I gasped and started forward, but stopped short when the blade came within a hair's length of the little girl. "You wouldn't…" I choked out, trying to stay strong while formulating some kind of plan in my head. Unfortunately, nothing was coming to me. "You…can't…she's your…your daughter!" I was letting all my rage go now, yelling at the top of my lungs, oblivious to the fact that the flock was right behind me, listening to all this. "How can you do this? She's your daughter; she's just a little girl! At least she has a chance at life ahead of her! You didn't give Roland a chance, and look at what you've done to him!" I stopped yelling as Fang put his hand on my shoulder, calming me down instantly. Honestly, I was still pissed at the doctor. "I always…WE always wanted to be normal, to be like anybody without wings. I always looked up to you, thought of you as a mother…but now…" My voice trailed off as I fought back tears again.

"Max, you don't understand the big picture," Dr. Martinez said in a quieter, motherly tone. I _almost _fell for it. "You don't understand that what I'm doing will change this world for the better. You don't understand that I'm not the one you want to kill. Max, you can trust me."

My heart throbbed as confusion, anger, and distress overwhelmed me. She couldn't be telling me everything, could she? "I know I don't understand what you're doing, doctor," I said. My voice grew stronger and I stared with hatred right into Dr. Martinez's eyes. "But I understand that I have to stop you from doing it."

What happened next lasted only a few seconds, but seemed to take an eternity. Dr. Martinez, with a crazed look in her eyes, raised the blade she held high over her head and brought it downward. It was only an inch away from Ella when Fang darted in and knocked the doctor over, cracking her arm backwards and sending her spiraling to the floor with a crash. Quickly I retrieved my own knife and readied it, moving quickly towards where Fang and Dr. Martinez had landed. "Stay there!" I shouted to the rest of the flock, who were moving in as well. The last thing I needed was for one of them to get hurt.

Fang rolled over the doctor and yanked the pocketknife from her hands, which flailed wildly, trying to find something to use as a weapon. "Don't move!" Fang yelled, holding the pocketknife over the doctor like a samurai. Dr. Martinez got the message and stopped, staring at the blade with anger in her eyes.

"Max, you wouldn't really kill me, would you?" Dr. Martinez said, her voice now filling with panic. I had the upper hand, and she knew it. She was powerless against Fang and I. "You don't know what I can do for you! The things I can finally show you, the things I can finally teach you! You and I can be invincible together!"

I wasn't even listening. I moved closer, keeping my eyes in line with the doctor's, keeping from flinching or blinking. "If I ever had a chance to be invincible, I'd never share it with you," I said, sounding more defiant now. "If there's anything you've taught me, it's that nobody can be trusted." I sighed. "Not even someone you thought of like a mother."

Dr. Martinez suddenly broke and began laughing. Fang and I looked at each other in confusion, and then focused back on the doctor, who spoke again. "You really are clueless, Max. My dear, dear Max. Haven't you figured it out yet? Haven't you realized why we're so much alike? Because we are, whether you want to believe it or not, you and I are almost identical."

I thought this sounded crazy, and I didn't quite understand what she meant, but I paid attention anyway.

"Max, Roland told you about me, didn't he? He told you about how I had a daughter besides Ella. Yes, fourteen years ago, Roland and I birthed our own child, not too long before I used him to create Type 1. I knew the child could very well be the perfect being I had been searching to create for so long, but I decided to wait. The child became part of 'The Angel Experiment', as I soon named it, a series of tests I ran, beginning with my husband." I didn't like where this was going, and braced myself for what I dreaded would come next. "My child became Type 26 in the Angel Experiment."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**MUAHAHA! How many saw that one coming! How evil am I? lol Don't worry, I'll probably update again later today if I have time.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Haha, I changed my mind about what to do with this book. Don't worry, you'll see _"in due time_." Teehee, lol. So here's chapter 34, R&R and enjoy!**

**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

34

Oh. My. God. "It can't be…you can't really…no…" My voice was stuttering and I had to gasp for air to keep from passing out. Fang was still holding the pocketknife over Dr. Martinez's head, keeping it steady in case something went wrong. Unfortunately, I reminded myself that _everything _had gone wrong. "You're not my mother. You can't be, you just can't be!" I was screaming, pounding at my temples, trying to wake myself up from this horrible nightmare, but nothing happened except I immediately got a headache. "You're not my mother, you're not, you're not! No!"

I sank to the floor, clutching my shoulders, trying to find some form of comfort. Could it really be that after all this time, after all my years of searching, all my years of wondering, that my mother was really the head of the white coats I had hated for so long? I wouldn't accept it, it just couldn't be true. But the more I thought about it, the more it began coming together, and it clenched my stomach into knots.

Finally, everything made sense. This was why I had no records of my parents like the rest of the flock. This was why I always got a sense of motherly love from Dr. Martinez. But now I realized that it had never been love, it was merely curiosity at how much her _specimen _had grown over the years. I was not a daughter to her, even if by blood. I wouldn't have anything to do with her anymore.

I picked myself up, hatred flooding my eyes, and stepped back slowly, keeping my gaze locked on Dr. Martinez. She was lying on the floor under Fang's weapon, a wry smile filling her face. I reached out and grabbed the chair, which Ella was still tied to, and began unwrapping the tape that trapped her. Then I said something that I thought I would never regret saying. I looked at Fang and emotionlessly stated, "Kill her."

Immediately Fang turned and looked at me, hints of fear and confusion filling his expression. I could feel the rest of the flock's gazes locked on me from behind, but I didn't care. "You don't really mean that, do you?" Fang asked, and I could see he was worried about me. They all thought I was losing my mind. Hell, at that point I didn't care if I _was_ losing my mind.

My face was blank, as was my mind. I didn't know what I was doing, and suddenly I felt a wave of heat lock my legs and bring me to my knees. I could hear words, screams, and other mixed sounds, but none of it made any sense. Suddenly I was stumbling to stand back up, and I barely saw Dr. Martinez's hands come towards my face. What had happened? It didn't make any sense, and slowly I became lost in a blackness that I was sure I would never awaken from.

_You were my first daughter, Alissa, and you'll accept that fact in due time. Just give it time…give it time…_

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**End of Part 4**

**End of Book 1**

**Yay for the end of this book! Book 2 will begin whenever I get some free time, HOPEFULLY but not guaranteed to be tomorrow!**


End file.
